To elucidate the genetic relationship of the soybean varieties registered in Henan province, we analyzed the pedigrees, the major agronomic traits, and the eco- nomic traits of 74 soybean varieties registered in Henan province from 1985 to 2012, with reference to experience and technologies beneficial to breeding. The resuits indicated that these varieties originated from 113 parents, and positive correla- tion between the yield and the number of original parents was significant. In the major agronomic traits, the growth stage was about 106 days with relatively small variation, while the final height varied largely among these varieties. Among the fac- tore affecting the final yield, the pod number per plant exhibited an increasing trend, while the variation of 100-grain weight was relatively small. More than 50% of the 113 original parents came from Henan Province and its neighbor provinces, and the genetic relationship among the registered varieties was too close. The rational criteria of yield components of soybean varieties in Henan Province should be as fol- lows： the pod number per plant was about 48. 6, with 100-grain weight ranging from 17.55 g to 21.80 g.
