How to grow soybeans in the Moscow region
Soybean is an agricultural legume crop characterized by high productivity and unpretentiousness. In Russia, soybeans began to be grown in large volumes relatively recently, but the acreage is increasing every year. This is explained by the popularity of soybeans as a valuable food product. Its cultivation has aroused interest not only among large farmers, but also among many summer residents. Following a certain cultivation technology, farmers have consistently high yields.
General information about growing soybeans
Soybean is a unique plant that is considered the best predecessor for many crops, including vegetables. The crop simultaneously performs two important functions: photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation - during the growing season it meets its own nitrogen needs and significantly increases soil fertility.
Soybean is characterized by high yield, not picky about the type of soil (except sandy), high content of vegetable protein. Plantings tolerate frosts, high and low soil moisture, and variations in soil acidity well.
Under suitable conditions, seedlings emerge within a week after sowing. When the seeds are filled, the crop stops growing, and during the ripening of the fruits it sheds its leaves.
Soybean prefers uniform, intense light, shading by weeds and trees is unacceptable, the plant stems and leaf cuttings lengthen, as a result of which the side shoots and the beans themselves do not form, and the ovaries fall off.
A wide variety of varieties makes it possible to cultivate it in a fairly wide temperature range. Some species easily tolerate frosts down to -3°C and heat up to +37°C.
Water requirement depends on the stage of soybean growing season. Well-moistened soil is needed during the periods of seed germination, flowering of plantings and crop formation. At low humidity, new flowers and beans are not formed, and existing ones are discarded. Therefore, in arid regions, the crop is cultivated under artificial irrigation conditions.
Mineral fertilizers applied depending on the quality of the soil and climatic conditions. Experts recommend cultivating soybeans in weed-free areas with sufficient supplies of nutrients and moisture. This means that the soil for growing soybeans must be fertile and cultivated, otherwise there will be additional costs for applying large amounts of fertilizer. Thus, in chernozem regions, the crop does not need feeding, since the need for nutrients is satisfied by those already present in the soil.
Is it possible to grow soybeans in the Moscow region and how effective is it?
The climatic conditions of the Moscow region limit the cultivation of some plant varieties, since cold snaps occur in August and September (about +15°C during the day, +10°C and below at night). Under such weather conditions, soybeans slow down the process of fruit filling and ripening. At the same time, it is extremely important that by the beginning of this period the crop has almost completely completed its growing season, otherwise ripening will last indefinitely.
The soybean sown area in the Moscow region is about 1,559 hectares.For this zone, breeders have determined the most acceptable conditions for cultivating the crop, allowing the crop to form and ripen in time. Thanks to this, it became possible to successfully cultivate it in Moscow and other regions of central Russia. The best early ripening soybean varieties are considered to be: Viliya, Mageva and Yaselda. Bean crop yields are increasing every year (according to the latest data, 4.35 million tons versus 3.9).
Important! Sowing is recommended to be done at the end of the first - beginning of the second decade of May.
How to plant soybeans, agricultural technology
Soybean growing technology consists of several stages:
- soil preparation;
- variety selection and seed processing;
- sowing;
- care;
- harvesting.
Soil preparation
The area intended for sowing the crop is allocated in an open place, where there is enough light and heat, and it is prepared in advance. The land is cultivated in the fall, selecting the remains of crops and weeds (one or two peelings are carried out to a depth of 8-10 cm) and fertilizers are applied for plowing: 10-15 g of potassium chloride and 10-12 g of superphosphate per square meter. m.
In the spring the area is harrowed and leveled. It is important that the surface of the sown area is extremely flat, since the fruits bend low above the ground and require a low cut during harvesting.
Soybeans are planted on loose neutral or slightly acidic well-fertilized soil. Acidic and salty areas with high groundwater levels are not suitable.
Every year a new place is chosen for the crop, preferably after perennial grasses, potatoes, corn, beets, and cereals. For moisture-loving soybeans, unsuitable predecessors are those that strongly dry out the soil - these are legumes, tomatoes, sunflowers, and cabbage.
Soybean seeding rate per 1 hectare in kg
The consumption of seed material depends on the plant variety, sowing method, germination and survival of plants. As a rule, sowing is 30-35% more than the optimal density of mature plants. The rate is increased if the field is fertile and well supplied with moisture; if there is a lack of it, it is reduced.
The soybean seeding rate varies from 40 to 60 kg/ha for grain and 120 kg/ha for hay. The average sowing density is 35-40 seeds per meter. As the row spacing increases, the seed consumption also increases by 10-20%.
When to sow soybeans
Soybeans are capable of sprouting already at +6…+7°C. But it is not recommended to sow too early due to the high risk of overgrowing with weeds, which will interfere with the growing season of the crop and reduce the yield. If you sow later than the recommended time, due to possible high temperatures in the summer, the number of fruits will be significantly reduced.
When sowing crops, be guided by the climate of the area and weather conditions. In years with an early and warm spring, soybeans are planted in late April, and in years with prolonged cool springs - in early to mid-May.
In any case, plant growers wait until the seed layer of soil warms up to 8-10°C, and the danger of severe frosts and prolonged cold snaps has passed. During this period, weeds appear en masse: wild oats, field mustard, wild radish, knotweed and others, which is an indirect indicator of the onset of a suitable time for sowing the crop.
This is interesting:
Varieties and varieties of beans: faba (garden), decorative.
Sowing process
Seed material is purchased taking into account the varieties’ tolerance to soil and climatic conditions and is pre-treated with special agents for disease resistance.
Reference! Soybean seeds become unusable after 2-3 years. Most other legumes retain their seed quality for 5-7 years.
The seeds are planted in rows, between which a distance of 45 cm is maintained. Taking into account some of the features when growing soybeans on an industrial scale (automation of watering, passage of equipment, etc.), planting in rows with a gap of 400-600 mm is practiced. Soybeans have lush, juicy greens, so large gaps are left for sunlight to reach all parts of the plant.
The distance between plants in a row is 10−15 cm. The recommended seeding depth is 3−5 cm. The soil must be sufficiently warmed up, therefore, when sowing early, the depth is reduced, and when sowing late, it is increased. Early ripening varieties are sown in mid-May, while late ripening varieties are best planted earlier.
Crop care
Soybeans germinate within 7-9 days. During this time, a lot of weeds appear, which retards the growth of young seedlings and prevents a healthy and abundant harvest.
Weed control
Weeds deprive young shoots of light, nutrition and moisture. The main pollutants of crops are annual dicotyledonous and cereal weeds. Weeding is used against them: chemical, mechanical (harrowing) and manual.
If soybeans are grown without the use of weed control agents, several pre-emergence harrowings are performed. This procedure creates optimal conditions for the development and growth of the culture. But in fields that are too polluted, agrotechnical measures alone cannot be used. This is a rather labor-intensive and almost impossible task.Currently, preference is given to the chemical method in weed control.
Highly effective soil herbicides
Soil herbicides destroy weed seedlings and inhibit the germination of new ones for 15–35 days, depending on the herbicide used. For the drugs to work successfully, the soil must be finely lumpy and moist.
When growing soybeans, the following soil herbicides and their combinations are used:
- "Pendimethalin";
- "Zenkor";
- "Treflan";
- "Pivot";
- "Pulsar 40" and others.
Attention! It is important to choose the right type of herbicide and its amount so that the soil biota is not destroyed.
Instructions and application steps
Weeds grow quickly and constantly. Therefore, they choose a mixed scheme for the use of herbicides: soil-based - since there is soil moisture and conditions for their use, and post-emergence - as needed for further cleaning of the fields.
Set of events:
- The first herbicide treatment is carried out after sowing before seed germination with the preparation “Artist” 2-2.5 kg/ha or “Zenkor Liquid” 0.5 l/ha on light soils, 0.7 on medium and heavy soils.
- The following is carried out as needed: “Galaxy Ultra” 1.5–2 l/ha in the early stages of weed development or “Maxi Mox” 0.75–1 l/ha.
- The third is also as needed: “Achiba” 1–2 l/ha.
Fertilizers for soybeans
The type and amount of fertilizer for soybeans is selected depending on the following factors:
- A predecessor crop that grew at the site where soybeans were sown.
- Soil depletion (soil analysis is carried out).
- Soybean varieties.
Usually, before sowing, fertilizers are applied per 1 hectare in the following quantities:
- manure - 5-10 tons;
- nitrogen - 30-40 kg (starting recommended dose);
- phosphorus - 15-30 kg;
- potassium oxide - 80 kg (a necessary element for the development of the root system, which reacts provided there is sufficient soil moisture);
- sulfur - 20 kg.
The volume of microelements for application is determined by laboratory soil analysis.
Harvesting
The ideal grain moisture content for harvesting is 13-14%; at this level, it is minimally injured and easily processed. Wetter raw materials have higher reject rates during harvesting and also require proper drying. It is important not to delay mowing, since literally within two days the pods will dry out, open, and the seeds will fall off. In the fields, soybeans are harvested using conventional direct harvesting, and in the garden by hand.
Ripening time
After 100-150 days from the moment of sowing (depending on the variety), harvesting begins. Early-ripening varieties are harvested in mid-August, late-ripening varieties in the second or third decade of September. Full ripeness of soybeans occurs when the leaves of the plant fall off, the stems and beans turn brown, the pods are easily separated, and the seeds are well separated.
Soybean yield per 1 ha
In central Russia, early-ripening varieties have the highest yields, where without irrigation they harvest an average of 10 centners of soybeans per hectare, and with timely and sufficient irrigation of fields - up to 25 centners per hectare. In the south, the yield per hectare reaches 50 centners, in the north - 10 centners.
Conclusion
Under favorable weather conditions, the right approach and compliance with all requirements of agricultural technology for growing soybeans, agricultural enterprises achieve good results in harvesting. The unique crop not only provides profit in the form of finished products, but also significantly improves the condition of the soil, which helps increase the yield of crops that are planned to be grown after soybeans.