1-     About Soybean

Soya Bean is also called Soja Bean, or Soy Bean. The soybean is an erect, branching plant ranging in height from several centimeters to more than 2 m (6.5 feet). The soybean fields are brown when harvesting starts because the leaves of the plant are dry before the beans are mature. The remaining plant has only stems with pods. The flowers are red, white but can also be violet. The beans grow in pods that develop in clusters of 3 to 5 cm with each pod usually containing 2 or 3 beans. These beans are sometimes big or small, long, round or oval. Color can be yellow, green, brown or violet and some are even black or with spots.

One of the most important agronomic characteristics of soybeans is that it can take nitrogen from the air and "fix" it to be used by the soybean plant, it is said to have self-fertilizing flowers.

The soybean may be cultivated in most types of soil, but it thrives in warm, fertile, well-drained, sandy loam. The crop is planted after all danger of frost is past. Maturing during September and October, soybeans are usually harvested mechanically, after the leaves have fallen off the plant and the moisture content of the seed has dropped to 13 percent, permitting safe storage.
 The soybean is one of the richest and cheapest sources of protein in the world, providing vegetable protein for millions of people and ingredients for hundreds of chemical products. The seed contains 17 percent oil and 63 percent meal, 50 percent of which is protein. Seventy five 75% of all cooking oils are Soya Oil. Soya oil is present in more than 70 per cent of all supermarket products, some research estimates, and it's often used by fast-food chains.