Bowen, Samuel

To my wife, Chunxia Michelle, and children Bowen, Kayla, and Samuel for their understanding, patience, and support. 

For many years. Meases 1804 soybean report was considered the earliest citation in American literature (Piper Morse, 1916). However, the 1983 publication by Hymowitz and Harlan clearly demonstrated that the introduction of the soybean into the Colony of Georgia by Samuel Bowen in 1765 was 39 years earlier than the Mease publication. Yet, Web sites and soybean commodity literature continue to cite Meases publication as the earliest introduction (Hymowitz Shurtleff, 2005). 

In 1765, Samuel Bowen introduced the soybean into the Colony of Georgia. He... 

Hymowitz, T. J.R. Harlan. Introduction of soybean to North America by Samuel Bowen in 1765. Econ. Bot. 1983,37, 371-379. 

Asia has grown soybeans for centuries. China is considered to be the area where soybean was domesticated (Hymowitz, 1970), from which it then spread to other countries. Probst and Judd (1973) presented a review of the origin and early history of soybean. They also reviewed the early history of the use of soybean in the United States. The soybean was first introduced into the United States in 1765 by Samuel Bowen (Hymowitz Harlan, 1983). Additional information on soybean production and use, especially in the United States through 2002, was presented by Smith and Huyser (1987) and Wilcox (2004). Somewhere in the middle part of the twentieth century the United States became the largest soybean producer and remains so currently. In 2006/07 the United States produced about 37% of the world s soybean supply, Brazil about 25%, Argentina about 19% and China about 7% (Table 2.1). 

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