Crop · Legume crop
Soybean
Glycine max
Also known as: Soya bean, Soybeans
Soybean is an annual legume grown worldwide for its protein- and oil-rich seed, used extensively in food, animal feed, and industrial products, and valued in cropping systems for its symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
Soybean is one of the most widely grown oilseed and protein crops in the world. Its seed is processed into vegetable oil and high-protein meal that forms a major component of livestock feed rations, alongside substantial direct use in human food products.
As a member of the legume family, soybean forms a symbiotic relationship with Bradyrhizobium bacteria in root nodules, through which the crop can fix atmospheric nitrogen. Its flowering is also sensitive to day length, and varieties are grouped into maturity groups suited to particular latitudes.
Overview
Soybean combines a relatively high seed protein and oil content with the ability to supply part of its own nitrogen needs through symbiotic fixation, which distinguishes it agronomically from cereal crops grown in rotation with it.
Production ranges from smallholder systems to large mechanized operations, and soybean is commonly grown in rotation with cereals such as maize. Agronomic detail such as maturity group selection and planting date is set locally according to latitude and season length.
Botanical classification
- Family
- Fabaceae (legume family)
- Genus and species
- Glycine max
- Growth habit
- Bushy annual with trifoliate leaves, producing pods that typically contain two to four seeds
- Root system
- Taproot bearing nodules that host nitrogen-fixing Bradyrhizobium bacteria
Origin and distribution
Soybean was domesticated in East Asia from its wild relative Glycine soja and was cultivated in China for millennia before spreading to other parts of Asia. It was subsequently introduced to other continents and expanded rapidly during the twentieth century as an oilseed and feed crop.
Soybean is now grown across the Americas, Asia, and increasingly other regions.
Climate requirements
Soybean is a warm-season crop typically grown where a sufficiently long frost-free period is available. Flowering is triggered by day length in many varieties, so maturity groups are matched to local latitude to ensure the crop flowers and matures within the growing season.
Heat and moisture stress during flowering and pod fill can reduce seed set and yield, which is one reason planting date and variety maturity are chosen carefully for local conditions.
Soil requirements
Soybean performs well on deep, well-drained loams with good structure. It is sensitive to waterlogging and compaction, both of which restrict root and nodule development and can increase the risk of root and stem diseases.
Establishment and crop management
In fields without a recent history of soybean production, seed is often treated with a rhizobial inoculant to ensure effective nodulation. Maturity group, row spacing, and seeding rate are set according to local latitude, soil, and equipment.
- Maturity group selection matched to local day length and season length
- Inoculation with compatible Bradyrhizobium strains in fields new to soybean production
- Crop rotation, commonly with cereals such as maize, to manage pests, diseases, and soil structure
- Weed management during early growth, before the canopy closes
Nutrient considerations
Effective nitrogen fixation can supply a substantial share of the crop nitrogen requirement, though this depends on successful nodulation and soil conditions. Phosphorus and potassium remain important, particularly on soils with limited native supply, and requirements depend on soil tests and target yield.
Water and irrigation
Soybean is grown both rain-fed and under irrigation. Water demand is highest during flowering and pod fill, and moisture stress during this period can noticeably reduce yield.
Common diseases and pests
Soybean is affected by root and stem rot diseases associated with several soilborne fungi and oomycetes, particularly under wet or compacted soil conditions, as well as by foliar diseases whose importance varies by region. The soybean aphid and other insect pests can reduce yield and, in some cases, transmit viruses.
Management typically combines resistant varieties, crop rotation, drainage improvement, field monitoring, and, where warranted, locally authorized control measures used according to their labels.
Harvest
Soybean is harvested once pods and seeds have matured and dried to a moisture content suitable for combining and safe storage. Harvest timing balances yield and quality against the risk of pod shattering and weather-related losses.
Uses
- Crushing into vegetable oil and high-protein meal for livestock feed
- Food products including soy milk, tofu, and fermented foods in some cuisines
- Whole or processed soybeans used directly in animal feed rations
- Industrial applications such as biodiesel feedstock in some regions
Botanical identity
Species- Accepted name
- Glycine max
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Glycine
- Harvested part
- seed, oilseed
- Agricultural use
- human food, animal feed, oilseed
- Crop group
- Pulses and grain legumes, Oilseeds
What the authorities say
- World Flora Online — Taxonomic Backbone
- Glycine max
- Plants of the World Online
- Glycine max
Botanical identity here is what the consulted taxonomic authorities publish, on the date they were read. Where authorities disagree, both readings are shown rather than one being chosen silently.
Traded as
This crop is traded as one commodity in this corpus.
What AgricultureID holds for this crop
- 174 crop calendar records
- 3 published cultivars
- 1 official variety registrations
- 7 verified extension resources
- 13 pests and diseases naming this crop as a host
- 1 soil references
- 34 farm economics observations
- 451 market price series
- 3 related crops
Not held
- No climate references — not researched
An absence here means this corpus holds no such record, not that none exists.
How to read figures on this page
Production, area and trade figures for any crop change from season to season and are compiled by FAO and by national agricultural statistics agencies. Take current numbers from those primary sources, dated to the period you mean, rather than from a secondary summary — including this one.
Crop water requirements are estimated from reference evapotranspiration and local climate data, following methods published by FAO and national agricultural agencies. A requirement quoted without the reference method and the local climate behind it is not a number that can be applied to a field.
Part of
Fabaceae — the legume family · Oilseeds · Pulses and grain legumes
Related crops
- Shared pest and disease pressure
- Common Bean, Maize, Tomato
Planting and harvest calendar
Usual sowing and harvest windows across 174 jurisdictions, covering soybean and soybean — season 1 and soybean — season 2.
Cost of production, as forecast
United States national estimates for 2027, published by USDA Economic Research Service.
- Total costs listed
- 701.48 USD
- Dollars per planted acre
- Operating costs
- 260.12 USD
- Dollars per planted acre
- Allocated overhead
- 441.36 USD
- Dollars per planted acre
A forecast of what a crop will cost to grow is not a record of what it cost. It is the source’s expectation for a year that has not finished.
These are costs only. The source publishes no revenue alongside them, so no margin, profit or break-even price is derived from them here.
Official extension guidance
7 resources indexed from public extension publishers. Each was written for a particular place; read it at the source.
Common Soybean Pests in Maryland (FS-2025-0759)
Factsheet published by University of Maryland Extension for Maryland. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “Common Soybean Pests in Maryland”, “Seedcorn Maggot” and “Root-Knot Nematodes”.
University of Maryland Extension · Pest management, Disease management · publisher states 2025-11-11
Considerations for Preplant Control of Palmer amaranth and other Pigweeds in Soybean
Factsheet published by University of Maryland Extension for Maryland. It addresses amaranth. The source is organised around “Considerations for Preplant Control of Palmer amaranth and other Pigweeds in Soybean” and “Volume 16, Issue 3: June 2025”.
University of Maryland Extension · Weed management · publisher states 2025-06-11
Factsheet published by University of Maryland Extension for Maryland. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “Early-Season Soybean Pests” and “Volume 16, Issue 2: May 2025”.
University of Maryland Extension · Pest management · publisher states 2025-05-06
Factsheet published by Ohio State University Extension for Ohio. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “Search form”, “ENT-37” and “Social Media”.
Ohio State University Extension · Pest management · publisher states no date; reachable 2026-08-27
Factsheet published by NC State Extension for North Carolina. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “Cause-Nematode and Life Cycle”, “Population and Races” and “Signs and Symptoms”.
NC State Extension · Disease management · publisher states no date; reachable 2026-08-27
Factsheet published by Ohio State University Extension for Ohio. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “The Causal Agent”, “Symptoms and Signs” and “Disease Cycle”.
Ohio State University Extension · Disease management · publisher states no date; reachable 2026-08-27
Soybean Yield Response to Long-term No-tillage Across Contrasting Ohio Soils
Factsheet published by Ohio State University Extension for Ohio. It addresses soybean. The source is organised around “Key Findings”, “Points to Ponder and Looking Ahead” and “Additional Resources”.
Ohio State University Extension · Soil preparation · publisher states no date; reachable 2026-08-27
These are pointers to guidance published by others. Each was written for a particular place and season and is revised by its publisher; read it at the source, and check it applies where you farm.
Authorised inputs (France)
The French register records 38 currently authorised products whose authorised use names this crop, held by 22 authorisation holders. This is a count of what exists on the register, not a recommendation and not a shortlist.
By function
- Herbicide 33
- Insecticide 3
- Fongicide 2
Targets named on the register
- Ravageurs du sol 2
- Dessiccation 1
- Chenilles phytophages 1
- Pourriture grise et sclérotinioses 1
- Champignons (autres que pythiacées) 1
Use scope is recorded as the register writes it. Collective terms cover several crops at once and are left unmapped rather than expanded, because expanding one entry into several would invent authorisations that were never granted.
Authorisation is specific to one jurisdiction, one legal object and one moment. It is not a recommendation, and it says nothing about how a product may be used: always read the current official label at the source before acting.
Tools for this
Each tool shows its formula, constants and sources, and starts empty — nothing is filled in from this page.
- Seed-rate calculator
Convert a target plant stand into a seed rate, allowing for germination and establishment.
- Row spacing calculator
Work out in-row spacing and plants per metre of row for a target density.
- Production, area and yield calculator
Relate a harvested area and a yield to a production total, in either direction.
- Growing degree-days calculator
Accumulate heat units against a base temperature.
Relationships
Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.
Nutrients required
Suitable soils
Managed with
Farming systems
Related topics
Notable cultivars
Documented varieties tied to this species, with registry status and sources on each page. Not an exhaustive list.
- ForrestForrest is a public soybean cultivar released by USDA-ARS in 1973 from the cross Dyer × Bragg. A Maturity Group V cultivar for the mid-South, it is best known as a soybean cyst nematode–resistant line and a reference source of that resistance.
- LeeLee is a public soybean cultivar released by the USDA in 1954 from the cross S-100 × CNS. A Maturity Group VI type bred for the southern United States, it was valued for disease resistance and became a foundational parent for southern U.S. and Brazilian breeding.
- Williams 82Williams 82 is a public soybean cultivar developed by USDA-ARS and the University of Illinois by backcrossing a Phytophthora-resistance region from Kingwa into the cultivar Williams. It is the primary reference genome for soybean research.
Harvested commodities
The traded commodities harvested from this crop. A commodity is the harvested lot, described by its own quality, grading, and storage evidence — not by the agronomy of the plant.
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Global overview. Maturity group selection, inoculation practice, and input levels are region-specific and depend on local latitude, day length, and soil conditions.
Climate context: Warm-season, day-length-sensitive legume grown across temperate to subtropical regions, rain-fed or irrigated.
- Maturity group selection is tied to local day length and season length and is not reduced to a single universal recommendation here.
- Production and trade statistics change annually and should be taken from primary datasets such as FAOSTAT and USDA NASS.
- Nitrogen fixation reduces, but does not necessarily eliminate, the need for supplemental nitrogen; actual requirements depend on soil and nodulation status.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Role of soybean in global food and feed systems
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAOSTAT — FAO statistical database (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production, area, and trade statistics
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [3]USDA NASS — National Agricultural Statistics Service (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
Cited for: U.S. soybean production statistics
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United States
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [4]USDA ARS — Agricultural Research Service (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cited for: Soybean disease and pest research
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United States
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- Authoritative
Cited for: Classification and nomenclature
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- United States
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [6]Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (opens in a new tab)High
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Cited for: Regional soybean agronomy guidance
- Type:
- University extension service
- Jurisdiction:
- United States (Iowa)
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12