Glycine max (L.) Merr. genome research

Soybean (Glycine max L.; 2n=20) is one of the world's most important leguminous crops and a major source of proteins, oils, and other physiologically active substances. In Japan, soybean is a crop that has been eaten from ancient times, as a valuable source of fermented products such as miso, soy sauce, and natto, and non-fermented products such as tofu and soymilk. In order to facilitate improvement of Japanese soybean cultivars, a large-scale analysis of an elite soybean cultivar Enrei has been initiated. The genome project aims to (1) determine a draft genome sequence of cultivated Enrei using next-generation sequencing technology, (2) characterize the genome by comparative analysis with the completely sequenced soybean cultivar Williams 82, and (3) elucidate the genes involved in many agronomic traits that can be used for improvement of Japanese soybean cultivars.