Genetic Diversity and Food Value of Black Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in Uttarakhand Hills, North-Western India

Black soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important food legume widely cultivated in the Uttarakhand hills of north-western India during the kharif (rainy) season. It is fondly eaten as pulse, and is an integral part of traditional cuisines of Uttarakhand hills. The morphological diversity and nutritional value of local landraces of black soybean were investigated in the present study. Level of genetic diversity conserved and deployed in traditional agricultural production landscapes, and diversity in some nutritional traits of native soybean landraces particularly protein, oil, total antioxidant, total phenolic content, total flavonoids and iron contents were studied. Nutritional benefits of black soybeans were discussed including significance of farmers’ experiential knowledge on introducing black soybeans in production systems and maintaining diverse types for specific culinary uses as component of the cultural legacy and nutritional security of local communities. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The National Academy of Sciences, India.