Editorial: A wonder legume, soybean: prospects for improvement

Ramlal, A., Nautiyal, A., Lal, S.K. & Chigeza, G. (2023). Editorial: A wonder legume, soybean: prospects for improvement. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14:1294185, 1-3.

Glycine max (L.) Merr. (soybean) is an economically, agriculturally and industrially (food, paper, textile, pharmaceuticals) important crop on a global scale. It is often referred to as a 'wonder legume' and 'gold from the soil' due to its substantial value and versatile nature. Soybean seeds are rich in proteins and serve as a vital source of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It holds a crucial role as a multi-purpose crop, serving both as animal feed and as a staple in human diets (Song et al., 2023). Soybean is also a medicinal crop and harbours diverse compounds known for their therapeutic potential (Ramlal et al., 2022a; Ramlal et al., 2023a). Traditionally, soybean has been cultivated using conventional breeding methods, driven by the necessity to enhance production to meet the growing population's demands which is a time-consuming and tedious process (Maranna et al., 2016). Breeding endeavours also focus on elevating the quality of proteins and oils while concurrently reducing anti-nutritional components.