Consumer demand for edamame (vegetable soybean) has steadily grown over the past two decades. A number of factors have restricted domestic production of edamame, causing the vast majority of current demand to be supplied through imports. Such factors include unadapted seed inputs for growers, cultivars incompatible with mechanized harvest, and an overall lack of understanding about consumer demand and various production factors such as profitability, plant disease, and pest control. Additionally, there is a need to develop edamame varieties with improved sensory characteristics catered specifically to U.S. consumer preferences.
The Edamame Project, based at Virginia Tech and funded by the USDA-SCRI, is multi-million dollar initiative spanning three universities which combines expertise in Plant Breeding, Economics, Extension, Phenomics, and Food Science to address production barriers and gaps of knowledge that have withheld domestic production hitherto. Together we hope to develop a better-tasting product for consumers, ensure the livelihood of soybean and specialty crop growers, and ultimately, support growth of the domestic market for edamame in the U.S.
The Edamame Project, based at Virginia Tech and funded by the USDA-SCRI, is multi-million dollar initiative spanning three universities which combines expertise in Plant Breeding, Economics, Extension, Phenomics, and Food Science to address production barriers and gaps of knowledge that have withheld domestic production hitherto. Together we hope to develop a better-tasting product for consumers, ensure the livelihood of soybean and specialty crop growers, and ultimately, support growth of the domestic market for edamame in the U.S.