Key Soybean Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

Soybean is one of the important food crops in China, and both its cultivation regions and planting area are relatively extensive. So what exactly are the soybean cultivation techniques?

I. Growth habits of soybean

Soybean is an annual herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family, genus Glycine, native to China, and is now distributed in China, the United States, Brazil and other places.

Soybean prefers warmth; seeds begin to germinate at 10-12°C, with 15-20°C being optimal, the optimal growth temperature is 20-25°C, and the optimal temperature during flowering and pod-setting is 20-28°C. At low temperatures, pod-setting is delayed; below 14°C, it cannot flower, while excessively high temperatures cause the plant to end growth prematurely.

Soybean seed germination requires relatively more water, and during the flowering period the soil moisture content is required to be 70%-80%, otherwise the rate of flower bud drop increases. Before flowering, soybean absorbs less than 15% of its total nutrient uptake, while the flowering and pod-setting period accounts for more than 80% of total nutrient uptake.

II. Soybean cultivation techniques

1. First apply deep fertilizer to the soil, then carry out rational sowing.

Fertilization method:

Under normal circumstances, fertilizer and seed are kept separate, applied 4-5 cm below and to the side of the seed, and the amount of chemical fertilizer can be adjusted. When applying more than 20 kg of diammonium phosphate per 667 sq m, it can be applied in layers: the upper seed fertilizer at a depth of 5-7 cm, accounting for 1/3 of the fertilizer amount; the base fertilizer at a depth of 10-16 cm, accounting for 2/3 of the fertilizer amount.

Alternatively, after the previous crop is harvested, evenly broadcast the fermented organic fertilizer on the soil surface, then use a harrow to work the fertilizer into the soil, and after the manure and soil are fully mixed, carry out deep plowing; after plowing, harrow and level finely and form ridges, or soybean can also be planted flat.

Sowing precautions:

For summer-sown soybean, after the wheat harvest, as long as the soil moisture is suitable, sowing can be carried out. The best sowing period is from June 10 to 25, and at the latest no later than early July.

Carry out summer and autumn plowing according to the previous crop, at a depth of 22-25 cm. During operation, do not turn up large clods, do not produce open furrows or clods, and ensure the soil is well closed, without overlap or gaps. After land preparation, the soil moisture content (based on dry soil weight %) should be about 22% at sowing, to ensure normal seed water absorption and sprouting. It is best to choose a proper preceding crop and avoid continuous or alternating cropping.

2. After sowing, field management is also required, including hoeing, weeding, land preparation, as well as rational watering and topdressing.

Hoeing: Before the first compound leaf, hoe the whole field once, making sure to hoe clean the weeds around the seedlings, without injuring the seedlings, and loosen the surface soil. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, carry out the second intertillage, making sure not to injure the seedlings, not to bury the seedlings, and not to miss any weeds. About 10 days after the second intertillage, carry out the third, which should involve deep loosening and building up more soil.

Weeding: Weeding is further divided into pre-emergence weeding and post-emergence weeding, and the commonly used herbicides are Pursuit and Command.

Land preparation: After plowing and turning the paddy field, divide it into beds, with a bed width of 2-3 m, a row spacing of 3 m, and a hill spacing of 0.33 m. Sow 2-3 seeds per hill, with a density of about 30,000 plants per mu.

Watering: For plots with poor soil moisture, where irrigation conditions are available, irrigate once before sowing to facilitate seed germination after sowing. Combine irrigation with closed-field weeding.

Topdressing: Apply fertilizer rationally according to the growth of soybean. Generally, magnesium phosphate fertilizer is used as seed-covering fertilizer, and urea is used as topdressing at the early flowering stage, etc.

3. During the soybean growth period, pests and diseases also need to be prevented and controlled, so that soybean can grow better.

Common pests and diseases are gray leaf spot, downy mildew, and pustule disease, etc.