Vegetable (Edible) Forage Soybean Breeding in Florida
Vegetable soybeans are growing increasingly popular as a healthy snack or vegetable because of the benefits associated with lowering cholesterol, increasing dietary fiber and contribution of natural isoflavones (phyto-estrogens) to our diets. Known as "Edamame", vegetable soybeans are on the menu at many Asian restaurants or are available at local groceries as ready-to-eat in salt brine, fresh-frozen or canned products.
For the past 25 years, the USDA-ARS and University of Florida have been developing vegetable soybean lines adapted for the southern United States. These lines were selected for pod yield, disease resistance, determinant growth habit, enhance flavor and isoflavone chemistry. Seed are characterized by their large seed size (1/3 to 1/2 times the size of normal soybeans), nutty flavor, and seed quality. Isoflavone content, while beneficial to our health, contribute to the bitter off-taste commonly found in standard soybean varieties. Decreasing the bitter flavor without eliminating the isoflavone content of the seed has been a major selection focus.
When compared with commercial available vegetable soybeans presently marketed in the U.S., Florida-developed lines have superior disease resistance and yield potential. Commercially available seed are too early in maturity for our area (Maturity Group IV and lower) and do not take advantage of our long-growing season. Florida experimental vegetable soybean lines are classed as Maturity Group VII and VIII soybeans.
Table 1
Isoflavone concentration of three experimental vegetable and standard soybean lines analyzed at Iowa State University.
| Variety / Experimental Breeding Line | Daidzein (ug gm-1) | Genistein (ug gm-1) | Glycitein (ug gm-1) | Flavor Score Rating (1-10) |
| Haskell | 840 | 791 | 282 | 2 |
| Hinson Long Juvenile | 844 | 847 | 143 | 3 |
| "LG Select" Vegetable | 537 | 666 | 131 | 7 |
| "BB 77 Select" Vegetable | 299 | 417 | 142 | 8 |
| "Pearl 44 Select" Vegetable | 682 | 740 | 95 | 9 |
Flavor Score Rating based on 1-10, were 1= bitter flavor to 10= sweet nutty flavor.
Presently we have three experimental breeding lines in breeder's seed increases at the North Florida Research and Education Center at Quincy. Two experimental lines are black-seeded and one is white-seeded. Over 100 additional breeding lines are also being evaluated for desirable flavor, seed and hila color and agronomic qualities (such as flowering date, seed yield, plant maturity, height, lodging, seed quality, insect and disease resistance). We plan to release several cultivars for commercial production in the southern U.S. in 2006.
- UF/IFAS Edamame Recipes [96KB pdf]
Project Cooperators
Ann Blount, Forage Breeder, NFREC-Marianna; Steve Olson, Horticulturalist, NFREC-Quincy; Monica Brinkley, Extension Specialist, Liberty County; Melissa Thorpe, Agricultural Research Assistant, NFREC-Quincy; Thomas Sinclair, Crop Physiologist, Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville; George Hochmuth, Vegetable Breeder and NFREC-Director