ABSTRACT
The wild soybean is a twining annual and is generally believed to be the progenitor of the cultivated soybean. Both the wild and cultivated soybeans have 2n = 40 chromosomes and are self-pollinating. Both have morphologically similar flowers that possess entomophilous characteristics. The natural outcrossing rate in wild soybean populations is about 1 to 2%. In mid-May of 1983, 20 plants from each seed source were grown in 15 cm diameter plastic pots, one plant per pot, with 45 cm spacing between plants in the glasshouse at the University of New Hampshire. All phenological data examined were significantly different among the 12 populations. A significant inverse correlation was found between the number of days from germination to the first flower and latitude. Flowering times are often correlated with abiotic factors such as photoperiod and temperature. Plant life span and latitude were also highly correlated.
