The paragraph is followed by an incomplete phrase or sentence which summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. Choose the missing words of the phrase or sentence.

A bean which has increased enormously in importance in recent years is soybeans. A native of eastern Asia, it is one of the oldest crops known to man. It was first recorded in 2838 B. C. Its value has long been known in the Orient, but only recently has it attracted the attention of European and American scientists.
The value of soybean was （） by the European and American scientists.