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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #263222

Title: Crops that feed the world 2. Soybean-worldwide production, use, and constraints caused by pathogens and pests

Author
item Hartman, Glen
item WEST, ELLEN - University Of Illinois
item HERMAN, THERESA - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Food Security Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2010
Publication Date: 1/27/2011
Citation: Hartman, G.L., West, E., Herman, T. 2011. Crops that feed the world 2. Soybean-worldwide production, use, and constraints caused by pathogens and pests. Food Security Journal. 3:5-17.

Interpretive Summary: The soybean crop is one of the most important crops worldwide. Soybean seeds are important for both protein meal and vegetable oil. There are a number of important abiotic and biotic constraints that threaten soybean production by directly reducing seed yields and/or seed quality. Abiotic constraints include extremes in nutrients, temperatures and moisture. These may reduce production directly, but also indirectly through increases in pathogens and pests. Biotic constraints tend to be geographically and environmentally restricted. Some diseases like soybean rust may be explosive by producing copious amounts of air-borne spores.This disease, more so than most, caused great concern when found for the first found invading soybean production areas in Brazil and the United States of America. In contrast, red leaf blotch is a disease restricted to a few countries in Africa, but deserving attention since it has not been intensely studied and adequate management strategies, such as the use of resistant varieties, are not available. Significant losses in soybean yield beyond what occur today would have implications for food security because of our dependence on the soybean crop, directly and indirectly for food products. In addition, because the crop is highly nutritious and versatile it offers resources to address world food issues through current and future utilization practices. Future soybean production is expected to increase in proportion to increased demand, and with application of newer genomic technologies, the crop has enormous potential to improve dietary quality of people throughout the world whether consumed as a vegetable crop or processed into various soybean food products. This study provides a summary of soybean production with examples of important diseases and pests that may reduce soybean productivity. This information will be useful for scientists interested in food security, epidemiologists interested in disease and pest impacts on crop plant.

Technical Abstract: The soybean crop is one of the most important crops worldwide.Soybean seeds are important for both protein meal and vegetable oil. The crop is grown on an estimated 6% of the world’s arable land, and since the 1970s, has the highest percentage increase of hectares in production compared to any other major crop. Recent increases in production coincide with increases in demand for meal and oil. Soybean production was 17 million metric tons (MMT) in 1960, and increased to 230 MMT in 2008. Future soybean production is expected to increase more than other crops, due to expanded production area and higher yields. There are a number of important abiotic and biotic constraints that threaten soybean production by directly reducing seed yields and/or seed quality. Abiotic constraints include extremes in nutrients, temperatures and moisture. These may reduce production directly, but also indirectly through increases in pathogens and pests. Biotic constraints tend to be geographically and environmentally restricted. Some diseases like soybean rust may be explosive by producing copious amounts of air-borne spores. This disease, more so than most, caused great concern when first found invading soybean production areas in Brazil and the United States of America. In contrast, red leaf blotch is a disease restricted to a few countries in Africa, but deserving attention since it has not been intensely studied and adequate management strategies, such as the use of resistant varieties, are not available. Significant losses in soybean yield beyond what occur today would have implications for food security because of our dependence on the soybean crop, directly and indirectly for food products. In addition, because the crop is highly nutritious and versatile it offers resources to address world food issues through current and future utilization practices. Future soybean production is expected to increase in proportion to increased demand, and with application of newer genomic technologies, the crop has enormous potential to improve dietary quality of people throughout the world whether consumed as a vegetable crop or processed into various soybean food products.