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Soybean field

Have you ever driven along a country road and seen fields similar to the photo above? The fields like the one show in the photo are soybean fields.

Soybeans(Glycine max) are an annual legume of the Fabaceae family. They are smooth, round beans similar to the size of peas. Soybeans are usually planted each spring, and they grow in pods on bushy, green plants.

Soybean close up (Photo by M. Nash)

In the fall, the soybeans dry out, turn brown and are harvested. After harvest, the beans are crushed to separate the soy protein from the soybean oil. Soy protein is used in food products and to feed animals.

Soybeans ready for harvest

The first domestication of soybean has been traced to the eastern half of North China in the eleventh century B.C. or perhaps a bit earlier. Soybean has been one of the main plant foods of Asia along with rice, soybeans, wheat, barley and millet.

The first use of the word "soybean" in U.S. lit­erature was in 1804. However, it is thought that soybean was first introduced into the American Colonies in 1765 as "Chinese vetches" . Early authors mentioned that soybeans appeared to be well adapted to Pennsyl­vania soil. An 1879 report from the Rutgers Agri­cultural College in New Jersey is the first reference that soybeans had been tested in a scientific agri­cultural school in the United States.

Some of the benefits of soybeans:

• Soybeans can produce at least twice as much protein per acre than any other major vegetable or grain crop, 5 to 10 times more protein per acre than land set aside for grazing animals to make milk, and up to 15 times more protein per acre than land set aside for meat production.
• Soybeans are used in the five major markets currently dependent on petroleum products including: plastics, coatings, and ink, adhesives, lubricants, and solvents.
  
• Approximately 98 percent of the soybean meal that is crushed is further processed into animal feed.
• World soybean production has increased by over 500 percent in the last 40 years.
• In 2011, U.S. farmers planted 74.97 million acres of soybeans – the sixth highest total as tabulated by the USDA.
• About 85 percent of the world’s soybeans are processed, or crushed, annually into soybean meal and oil.
• When used as an ingredient, soy can often improve the functional properties of foods.  For instance, fried donuts absorb less fat, and white bread appears whiter.
• Textured soy protein used as a meat alternative has the texture of meat but has no cholesterol and little saturated fat.
• When compared to meat proteins – the cost per pound is significantly less and you get double the volume when you rehydrate it – so is half that cost!
• Soy is an excellent source of a complete protein which is unique among plant sources.
• There is evidence suggesting that exposure to soy during childhood and/or adolescence reduces breast cancer risk later in life.

Now, when you pass one those fields of brown pea like pods you'll know the plants that were growing there and appreciate their significance.


Additional Information

Natioanl Soybean Research Laboratory

Cooking with Soy

Soybean History

Soybean Growth and Development

When Corn Tastes like a Mushroom

Recently, one of members found something special when she purchased corn at a market.  The surprise? Corn smut!  She purchased some fresh ears of corn from a market and later in the day she started to remove the husks.  When she removed the husk from the last ear of corn she had a surprise which she initially thought was a huge insect and she quickly threw the ear of corn into the sink.  When the object didn't budge, she decided to live dangerously and pressed it with her finger to see if it would move.  No, it didn't move. Upon closer examination, it looked a little like mold in certain spots.  So she decided to do what all good "Crop Scouts" do... she Googled it!

Imagine her  surprise when she discovered that corn smut(Ustilago maydis) is a delicacy in Mexico.  A brief perusal of the literature revealed that in some urban markets Huatlicoche sells for $25 per pound.  Chefs in many of the larger cities have incorporated Huatlicoche into their menus. In 1989 the James Beard Foundation held a dinner in its honor, christening it "Mexican truffle" to promote its prestige. It sort of worked. In the '90s the USDA, responding to demand, cleared Florida and Pennsylvania to infect crops with the parasitic fungus. 

Here are some pictures of Ustilago maydis on the ear of corn.

So, the next time you are eating Huatlicoche at that upscale city restaurant remember the fungus that made your gourmet meal possible.

For additional information/articles on Huitlacoche(Ustilago maydis) please visit the links listed below:

1. "Our own" Ray Samulis wrote an article that mentions corn smut (Pest & Plant Advisory dated June 25, 1997):  http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/plantandpestadvisory/1997/vc0625.pdf

2. Here's a link to an article (prepared by W.F. Tracy, C. Vargas, L. Zepeda, J.K. Pataky, and M.A. Chandleron) titled 'Production and Marketing of Huitlacoche' from Purdue:  http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu07/pdfs/tracy233-236.pdf

3. Here's another link to an article by Mary Ann Hansen, Extension Plant Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia TechVirginia Cooperative Extension:  http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/450/450-706/450-706.html

4. And from the Boston Globe Food Section, an article titled 'His crop isn't pretty, but it tastes great', by Eric Goldscheider, Globe Correspondent:  http://www.eric-goldscheider.com/id103.html

5. An article titled 'Huitlacoche Corn Smut: How to Grow it and How to Prevent It':  http://voices.yahoo.com/huitlacoche-corn-smut-grow-prevent-7588792.html?cat=6

And, if you were wondering about the nutritional value of Huitlacoche...
http://www.examiner.com/article/huitlacoche-eat-your-smut-dear-it-s-good-for-you
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/27/huitlacoche-corn-smut-goo_n_553422.html

Other articles/info that may be of interest: 
http://www.news.wisc.edu/12896
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/flora-lazar/corn-porn-learning-to-lov_b_125964.html

Goosegrass and Crabgrass Identification

Goosegrass (Eleusine indica), also called wiregrass, is an annual summer grass and occasionally, a perennial. Goosegrass is normally found in compacted areas or areas of heavy wear; it inhabits agricultural land and other disturbed places, especially those that receive some summer water, and grows close to the ground. Goosegrass is characterized by fibrous roots and very flattened sheaths which have a silvery-green color, especially near the center of the plant. It has finger-like seedheads bearing seeds with a zipper-like appearance on the seed stalk.  It is a widespread and highly variable species that tolerates a broad range of environmental conditions, but does not survive frost.

Crabgrasses are summer annual grasses that generally grow in patches. They inhabit agricultural land and other disturbed sites. Large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis, is more often found in gardens or landscape areas and smooth crabgrass, Digitaria ischaemum, is more often found in turf. Flowering and subsequent seed set take place from mid-summer to early frost and are the means of perpetuating the species. Seed can be produced at mowing heights as low as ¼ inch. Abundant quantities of seed are produced. They vary in number depending on the general health and vigor of the plants.

Courtesy of PennState College of Agricultural Sciences

For color photographs of the life cycle of crabgrass and goosegrass, please use the link below and visit the University of California at Davis IPM site.

UC Davis IPM - Weed Gallery

Crabgrass Control

This week at the Burlington County Community Agricultural Center we noticed the seed heads  of  crabgrass and wanted to remind everyone that late summer and early fall is the best time for establishing a healthy lawn and a weed control program.  The establishment of a healthy lawn is the best way to control crabgrass and other annual weeds.

Some tips for creating a healthy lawn are:

• Test your soil.  Soil Fertility testing should be performed every 2 to 3 years. Apply phosphorus, potassium, or lime based on recommendations of the soil test report.  
• Plant high quality seed of recommended cultivars. 
• Seed in late summer for new lawns. Crabgrass and other annual grasses that germinate in late summer will be killed by frosts in October or November.
• Mow your lawn to a height of 2 to 3 inches. The taller grass shades the soil and keeps soil cool. Crabgrass seeds do not germinate under cool conditions. Adjust your cutting height as appropriate for the turfgrass species in your lawn. 
• Leaving clippings recycles nutrients, sustains soilfertility, and provides for a healthy, vigorous turf that is more competitive against weeds.
• Water heavily once a week and avoid frequent light irrigation.
• Avoid summer fertilization. Crabgrass benefits more from fertilizer application under high temperatures than Kentucky bluegrass and other cool season grasses. 

For additional information on crabgrass and weed control please click on the link below:

Weed Control in Home Lawns