The Fabaceae (leguminosae) comprise the second largest family of flowering plants with 650 genera and 18000 species. As a member of Phaseoleae, the most economically important legume tribe, the soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., constitutes a major source of vegetable oil and protein internationally. Recently, soybean oil has garnered considerable attention due to its increased use for biodiesel production. The extensive genetic resources of soybean and the associated physiological tools available to scientists present a set of unique opportunities to study areas ranging from seed development, to the biology of polyploidization, to a huge array of pathogenic and symbiotic plant-host interactions. The large plant size of soybean is advantageous to such studies, and permits the use of techniques that are difficult or impossible for practice on smaller plants. For these and additional reasons, soybean genomic research has seen major advances in recent years.
Genetics and Genomics of Soybean chronicles advances in soybean genomic research, while addressing and anticipating the potential for future discoveries in a rapidly evolving field. The book covers recent progress on genome research in soybeans, including the genetic map with classical, RFLP, SSR and SNP markers; genomic and cDNA libraries, functional genomics platforms (e.g., cDNA, Affymetrix and oligonucleotide based DNA microarrays); physical maps, and the efforts to fully sequence the genome. Given the pending release of the soybean genome sequence, through the efforts of the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, this book will stand as a critical source of information on soybean.
Dr. Gary Staceyis an MSMC Endowed Professor of Soybean Biotechnology and Professor of Plant Sciences and Biochemistry at the University of Missouri.