Scientific Name of Soybean

Scientific Name of Soybean: In Biology, every organism is given a name called the scientific name and it is unique for every organism. “Glycine max” is the scientific name of Soybean. Soybean originally started out in east Asia, with evidence showing that it was first domesticated around 9000 years ago in China from where it spread to neighboring countries like Japan, and Korea, and later on to the whole world. Soybean is a plant that can grow in varied climates. It has exciting properties such as its emulsifying nature and high concentration of oils and proteins, that make it very useful for both consumption and industrial applications in the present day.

In this article, we have provided everything related to the Scientific name of soybean, including its biological classification, characteristics of soybean, etc.

What is the Scientific Name of Soybean?

The scientific name of Soybean is “Glycine”. The name “Glycine” was given by Carl Linnaeus. This word comes from the Greek word “glykós” which means sweet. The species name “max”, however, does not have a clear origin behind it but is most likely because one of Linnaeus’s books suggested the name “Phaseolus max” for the crop.

Biological Classification of Soybean

Following is the hierarchical classification of Soybean:

Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Fabales
Family	Fabaceae (Legumes)
Genus	Glycine
Species	Glycine max

Characteristics of Soybean

Soybean is one of the most important crop in recent human history and has wide range of uses and characteristics, that makes it unique. Some of these are discussed in the following points:

• Like other legumes, Soybean too can fix nitrogen and make the soil more fertile.
• Soybeans are used in products as emulsifiers, to hold moisture and improve wet-ability.
• Most of the Soybeans produced in the world are used as feed for livestock and not as food for humans.
• Soybean is one of the most common food allergens.
• Soybeans are rich in antioxidants and calcium.
• These are a major source of proteins and fats.
• It is one of the worlds largest oil and livestock feed crop.

Now, you are well equipped with the knowledge about Soybean, and next time you look at your kitchen cabinet at a packet tofu, just remember the long history, and immense nutritional benefit Soybeans poses, and how important they are for our economies.

Note : Some people are allergic to Soybean. So, if you are one of them, try to avoid it as far as possible.

FAQs on Scientific name of Soybean

1. What is the Scientific name of Soybean in English?

Scientific name of Soybean is Glycine max, where the first name Glycine is the name of the genus and max is name of the species. The word Glycine is derived from the Greek word “glykós” which stands for sweet and max was the name first appeared in one of Carl Linnaeus’s Book.

2. What is the Common name for the Soybean Family?

Soybean is a leguminous plants and thus belongs to belongs to the family Fabaceae which is the family of legumes. Commonly this family is also known as the “legume family” or “bean family”. Most plants of this family can fix soil nitrogen and have high protein content.

3. What is the Time Period of Soybean Cultivation?

Soybean’s have a short growth period and are generally harvested 130-140 days after sowing, with first flowering taking almost 50-60 days on average. Generally in India, Soybean are sown in month of June and harvested around November.

4. In which Month Soybean is Harvested?

Being a legume, Soybeans require moderate to cool climates. This means the ideal time to sow soybeans is around June to July in India, after this it takes 4-5 months for the crop to mature, thus it is harvested around October – November.

5. Which Indian state Produce the Highest Soybean?

India is the 5th largest soybean producer in the world, and produces over 12 million tonnes of soybean each year. In India, Soybean is generally cultivated in central India. Madhya Pradesh is the leading soybean producing state in the country followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan.