ABSTRACT
We have already documented how soybeans are being commercially released with newly inserted genes making them tolerant to herbicides. The history of our increased reliance on this once exotic crop is illuminating. About three thousand years ago, farmers in China began planting the black and brown seeds of a wild recumbent vine. The crop being cultivated was the forbearer of modern-day soybeans. The reasons why Chinese farmers chose to cultivate soybeans remain ineffable. In its original form, the soybean spread out along the ground making it difficult to cultivate and harvest. Its seeds or beans were hard and indigestible.1 By 1100 B.C., the plant had been trained through genetic selection to stand upright and bear larger, more useful seeds. The beans were valuable, producing plentiful protein while growing in soils too depleted to support other crops. By planting this crop, farmers also discovered soybeans enriched the soil. We now know this benefit comes from nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soybean root nodules that transform N2 into ammonia.
