Development of a new soybean cultivar ‘Sorahibiki’ with high yield and lodging resistance in the southern Tohoku and Hokuriku regions of Japan

Abstract

‘Sorahibiki’ is a new soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar that originated from the cross between ‘Sachiyutaka,’ a widely grown cultivar in the Western Japan region, and ‘LD00-3309,’ a high-yielding cultivar in the United States. The cross was made in 2012 at the Institute of Crop Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) to produce a high-yield cultivar and ensure its suitability for tofu processing. This cultivar was developed from the F2 generation by the Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO, and released in 2024. Trial cultivation tests were conducted in Daisen, Akita (latitude 39° 32’ N, longitude 140° 22’ E), and they showed that ‘Sorahibiki’ has lodging resistance and high yield characteristics. ‘Sorahibiki’ has purple flowers, gray pubescence, brown pods at maturity, and pod dehiscence resistance. The seed traits are medium-sized and yellowish-white with yellow hila. This cultivar is suitable for tofu processing because the protein content is the same as that of ‘Ryuho,’ which is a widely grown cultivar in the Tohoku region. ‘Sorahibiki’ is expected to have high productivity and adaptability in the southern Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.