SOY:
Seed, origins, temperament, life cycle, recent history as superfood, and environmental impact.
SEED:
Soybeans are dicotyledonous (dicots), meaning they have two cotyledons (leaves in the seed). Their vascular bundles are arranged in concentric circles and their roots develop from the radicle. They also have reticulate arrangements of major leaf veins, often have secondary growth, and have more stomata on the lower epidermis of leaves. Soy is also an exalbuminous seed.
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ORIGINS:
Soybeans originate from Southeast Asia and were first domesticated by Chinese farmers around 1100 BC. By first century AD, soybeans were grown in Japan and many other countries.
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TEMPERAMENT:
Soybeans thrive in warm environment. They are usually planted in the spring, 2 weeks after the average last frost date when the soil has warmed to at least 60ºF. Soy can be platned earlier in warm-winter regions, as they grow best where daytime temperature averates in the 70ºs.
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LIFE CYCLE:
The system of soybean growth stages divides plant development into vegetative (V) and reproductive (R) stages. The vegetative stages are numbered according to how many fully-developed trifoliate leaves are present. The reproductive (R) stages begin at flowering and include pod development, seed development, and plant maturation.
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RECENT HISTORY AS SUPERFOOD:
Soybeans were introduced to the US through a British colonist who brought the seed from China. Benjamin Franklin sent some soybeans to a friend to plant his garden in 1770. Although soy sauce had been popular in Europe and other British colonies, soybeans were not distributed to farmers in Illinois and other corn belt states until 1851. Soybeans increased in popularity amongst farmers in the 1870’s as it became a popular option for farmers to plant them as feed for livestock. Soy was one of the most prominnet superfoods, as it was continually modified to fit the needs of farmers. 6
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
Although the cultivation of soy itself is not necessarily detrimental to the environment, the indirect consumption of soy through various meats is, through the amount of greenhouse gas produced as a result of livestock farming. Soy farming is also a leading factor in deforestation, especially in the Amazon, as corporations push to cut down forests to make space for soy fields to feed more livestock.
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