Vegetable soybean, also known as edamame, is a specialty crop harvested at an immature stage and consumed as pods. It has become increasingly popular in the United States due to its high nutritional value and good taste. Currently, most edamame consumed in the U.S. is imported as a frozen product. States such as Arkansas and Kentucky have started to grow this crop locally on a small scale to meet the high demand. South Florida, known for producing fresh vegetables sold nationwide, especially in the winter and spring markets, also has a highly diverse and growing ethnic population with significant local market potential. These factors make growers in South Florida highly interested in cultivating edamame to meet the demand in both national and local markets. Sixteen commercial edamame varieties were selected and assessed for differences in phenotypic performance, including emergence, yield, plant height, plant width, 10-pod weight, and pod size, to evaluate their production potential in South Florida. Varieties showed significant effects on most traits studied. Emergence rates ranged from 0 to 85%, and fresh pod yield ranged from 4.41 to 14.34 t/ha among all 16 varieties. Varieties like Goo, Karikachi #3, and Midori Giant, despite having moderate emergence rates, produced higher fresh pod yields due to their larger plants, resulting in bigger pods. There were variations in average pod length (35.61 – 51.21 mm), width (9 - 14 mm), and thickness (5.46 - 8.74 mm) among the varieties, with Goo standing out significantly in size. Overall, Goo, Karikachi #3, and Midori Giant demonstrated particularly favorable yield and good pod quality, showing potential for commercial edamame production in South Florida. This research highlighted the potential to grow edamame in higher hardness zone, providing foundational knowledge on edamame production in the US.
