Vegetable soybean ((Glycine max (L.) Merr.), commonly referred to as edamame, holds significant agricultural importance in China as a legume vegetable harvested at the pod-filling stage (R6).  The visual appeal of vegetable soybeans is crucial for consumer preference and marketability, and it depends on factors such as pod length, pod width, and pod color.  This study cultivated 264 vegetable soybeans in Nanjing, Huai’an, and Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China to assess pod traits using PlantPhenoM, a system for pod phenotypic identification and analysis.  The results revealed a variability range of 8.64 to 30.00% in appearance quality traits among the vegetable soybeans.  Leveraging phenotypic data and employing a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 525 SNPs significantly linked to the appearance quality traits in different regions.  In addition, five candidate genes (Glyma.04G004700, Glyma.15G051600, Glyma.18G225700, Glyma.18G225900, and Glyma.18G272300) associated with target traits were identified, and KASP markers for S04_372771 (pod length), S18_51477324 (pod width), and S18_55553200 (pod color) were developed.  This study offers valuable insights for breeding superior vegetable soybean varieties and lays the groundwork for exploring candidate genes and molecular markers related to appearance and quality traits in vegetable soybeans.

Continuous cropping presents various challenges including land degradation, the proliferation of soilborne pathogens, diminished yields. However, it can also foster the development of positive plant–soil feedbacks. The related microbial mechanisms and the potential impact of aboveground diseases on its formation remain unclear. This study systematically assessed the growth, occurrence of disease, soil properties and complexity and stability of the rhizosphere microbial network of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) across different continuous cropping years. In this study, although continuous cropping decreased crop yield and quality, it reduced disease prevalence. The establishment of disease suppression was linked to a decrease in the incidence of disease, reduction in the soil nitrogen, decrease in microbial diversity and asymmetric alterations in the complexity and stability of the microbial network. Key beneficial microorganisms recruited in rhizosphere, such as Bacillus, Sphingomonas and Arthrobacter, were identified as potential contributors to disease suppression. The microbial-mediated soil legacy of anthracnose-infected modulated the growth-defense trade-off of common vetch by influencing the allocation of N and activating the plant's induced systemic resistance. The study underscores the significance of microbial-driven suppression in modulating the beneficial microbiome and offers novel insights into sustainable strategies of disease management in agricultural systems.