Evaluation of ten edamame breeding lines for yield, agronomic and seed composition traits

Authors: JIANG, GUO-LIANG - Virginia State University; MIREKU, PATRICK - Virginia State University; JOHNSON, DAVID - Virginia State University; TOWNSEND, WILLIAM - Virginia State University; SEOW, AMANDA - Virginia State University; Fallen, Benjamin; Mian, Rouf

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/11/2024
Publication Date: 3/13/2025
Citation: Jiang, G., Mireku, P., Johnson, D., Townsend, W., Seow, A., Fallen, B.D., Mian, R.M. 2025. Evaluation of ten edamame breeding lines for yield, agronomic and seed composition traits. HortScience. 59(12):1789–1794. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18166-24.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18166-24

Interpretive Summary: Edamame, a type of vegetable soybean known for its nutritional benefits, has been steadily gaining popularity in North America. However, the majority of edamame varieties currently grown in the U.S. are imported from Asia, where they are not well-adapted to local climates and farming practices. Additionally, domestically developed varieties often suffer from smaller seed sizes and lower market acceptability, which limits their commercial potential. To address this issue in this study, ten edamame breeding lines and four check cultivars were evaluated during 2020-2023 for potential uses in production. The study aimed to identify superior lines that could be released as new cultivars, better suited to U.S. conditions. The results showed significant improvements in several key traits, including yield, seed size, and nutritional content. Some of the new breeding lines produced larger seeds and had higher levels of protein, oil, and oleic acid compared to the existing varieties, indicating their strong potential for successful commercial production in the U.S. This accomplishment contributes to the development of edamame varieties that are not only better adapted to local environments but also more acceptable to the market, thereby supporting the growth of this specialty crop in the U.S.

Technical Abstract: Edamame is a vegetable soybean (Glycine max) that is harvested at R6 growth stage. Edamame has steadily increased in acreage and market demand although it is relatively new to North America. It is of significance to develop new cultivars that are more adapted to local environment and crop management system to promote specialty crop production and meet the market requirements. In this study, ten edamame breeding lines and four check cultivars were evaluated during 2020-2023 for potential uses in production. There were significant differences among genotypes in both fresh pod and mature seed yields, agronomic and seed composition traits investigated. The year effects and genotype x year interactions were also significant in most cases. Over four years, fresh pod yield averaged 11,227.5 kg ha-1, ranging 9,800.1 – 13,154.3 kg ha-1, and mature seed yield averaged 2,814.7 kg ha-1, ranging 2,029.2 – 3,175.2 kg ha-1. The average 100-seed weight of 14 genotypes was 26.9 g, ranging 23.1 – 30.1 g, and nine of breeding lines showed larger seeds than the check average. Maturity averaged 153.3 days after planting, ranging 147.1 – 159.5 days. On a dry weight basis, seed protein, oil and sucrose contents averaged 43.5%, 18.7% and 5.0%, respectively. The estimates of broad-sense heritability were medium to high (66.82 – 94.90%) for most of the traits, while the heritability estimates for fresh pod yield and duration from flowering to maturity were relatively low (23.44% and 42.29%). Several breeding lines exhibited good yield, larger seed size, and higher contents of protein, oil and oleic acid, suggesting the potential of release and commercial production.