Soybean Genome Completed - Data Released to Advance Biofuel, Food, & Feed Research

The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released a complete draft assembly of the **soybean** (Glycine max) genetic code, making it widely available to the research community to advance new **breeding strategies** for one of the world’s most valuable plant commodities. Soybean not only accounts for 70 percent of the world’s **edible protein**, but also is an emerging feedstock for **biodiesel** production. Soybean is second only to corn as an agricultural commodity and is the leading U.S. agricultural export. DOE JGI’s interest in sequencing the soybean centers on its use for biodiesel, a renewable, alternative fuel with the highest energy content of any alternative fuel. According to 2007 U.S. Census data, soybean is estimated to be responsible for more than 80 percent of biodiesel production. "DOE Joint Genome Institute":[ http://www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_12_08_08.html]

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