Spring-sowing soybean in Jiangxi province of China is mainly planted in the red hilly soil region， where low phosphorous availability restricts the yield production. Breeding for spring soybean cultivars showing high phosphorous use efficiency will hence become of interest to ensure its production in Jiangxi province. To understand the phosphorous efficiency of spring soybean cultivars and their foundation parents，12 traits （i.e. net photosynthetic rate，biomass，phosphorous absorption efficiency，phosphorous use efficiency，and phosphorous concentration） were evaluated under normal and low phosphorous soil pot conditions，followed by the analysis of the principal component and associated membership functions. There were significant differences in 12 traits including net photosynthetic rate，phosphorus absorption efficiency and phosphorus use efficiency among 17 soybean cultivars. Gained from the comprehensive analysis，the cultivar Brazil 11 was qualified as a high-efficiency phosphorous germplasm，whereas Heinong 35 was a low-efficiency phosphorous germplasm. Moreover，the phosphorous efficiency of cultivars Gandou 10，Gandou 11 and Gandou 12 derived from the parental cultivar Brazil 11 was higher than that of other soybean cultivars in Jiangxi，showing higher tolerance under low phosphorous stress condition. These spring soybean cultivars significantly enhanced the tolerance to low phosphorus stress，and thus became important to promote the development of spring soybean in Jiangxi province.