Ministry of Agriculture Issues 2015 Technical Guidance for Summer-Sown Soybean Production in the Huang-Huai-Hai Region

This website news  This year, the pre-sowing meteorological conditions for soybean in the Huang-Huai-Hai region were generally good, with temperatures on par with normal years. Heavy rain occurred in early June in the southern Huang-Huai area, and soil moisture was generally good, but the wheat harvest period was delayed by 2-3 days compared with normal years, and the soybean sowing period was delayed accordingly; in the northern Huang-Huai area, rainfall was lower than the same period in normal years, and temperatures have risen rapidly recently, with soil moisture declining in some areas, but this is generally favorable for accelerating wheat stubble clearing and timely sowing of summer soybean. To guide the Huang-Huai-Hai region in carrying out summer soybean production well, the soybean expert guidance group of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, after consultation, put forward the following production technical guidance opinions.

I. Select suitable varieties

Select soybean varieties that are high-yielding, high-protein, have good disease resistance, and are suitable for mechanized harvesting, to meet the demand of the edible soybean consumer market. The southern Huang-Huai region has relatively good heat conditions, so varieties with a relatively longer growth period can be selected, such as Zhonghuang 13, Xudou 14, Xudou 16, Wandou 24, Fudou No. 9, Zheng 196, Shangdou No. 6, Yudou 29, etc. The central Huang-Huai region should select varieties with a relatively moderate maturity period, such as Jidou 17, Zhonghuang 30, Wandou 28, Hedou 13, Zhonghuang 37, Zhoudou 12, Qindou No. 8, etc. The northern Huang-Huai region should select varieties with a relatively shorter growth period, such as Jidou 19, Handou No. 5, Cangdou No. 10, Qihuang 35, Hedou No. 20, Shanning 17, Zhonghuang 35, etc.

II. Sow at the right time according to local conditions

Laying a good foundation for seedling conditions and ensuring full and strong seedlings are the key to achieving high yields of summer soybean in the Huang-Huai region. No-till mechanical sowing is advocated. After wheat harvest, stubble should be cleared promptly, and an integrated machine for rotary tillage, fertilization, sowing, and pressing can be used for sowing to improve sowing quality. Where conditions permit, a no-till soybean seeder with straw mulching can also be used. In dry plots in northern Huang-Huai, irrigation can be used to create soil moisture before sowing to ensure full seedlings in one sowing; in the southern Huang-Huai region, attention should be paid to opening the “three ditches” well to prevent waterlogging damage during the seedling stage. According to variety characteristics and soil fertility levels, determine planting density reasonably. Generally, the seeding rate is about 6 kg per mu, the sowing row spacing is about 40 cm, and about 18,000 seedlings per mu are retained; in thin and poor soil plots, this can be increased to more than 20,000 plants.

III. Reasonably regulate fertilizer and water

Most soybean fields in the Huang-Huai-Hai region have relatively low soil organic matter content. When harvesting previous crops such as wheat and rapeseed, straw should be returned to the field as much as possible to increase soil organic matter. At sowing, combined with soil testing and formulated fertilization, appropriately increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and apply less nitrogen fertilizer. Generally, apply about 15 kg per mu of 45% compound fertilizer or diammonium phosphate. Use a seed-fertilizer integrated machine as much as possible to complete sowing and fertilization in one operation, and at the same time pay attention to separating seed and fertilizer to prevent seedling burn. Before and after flowering, if the rows have not closed, apply about 10 kg per mu of soybean special fertilizer or compound fertilizer as a topdressing; if drought occurs after flowering, irrigate in time to promote flowering and pod setting and increase the number of seeds per plant; during the seed-filling stage, pay attention to irrigation to prevent a decrease in grain weight, and spray foliar fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate and Yemianbao to prevent premature aging of plants. For fields with vigorous early growth, large populations, and a tendency to excessive vegetative growth, chemical regulation can be used before early flowering to prevent lodging, spraying 20 ml of mepiquat chloride per mu diluted in 20 kg of water, or 50 g of 15% paclobutrazol diluted in 40-50 kg of water.

IV. Scientifically use herbicides

Soybean is very sensitive to many chemical herbicides. Herbicides should be selected scientifically and used strictly according to the doses recommended in the instructions to avoid phytotoxicity or effects on the growth of subsequent crops. For pre-emergence closed weed control after sowing, generally use 100-130 ml of 50% acetochlor per mu, or 72% Dual emulsifiable concentrate plus 3-5 g of 20% chlorimuron-methyl wettable powder, sprayed in 50 kg of water. In plots with a large amount of field straw, closed weed control alone often cannot achieve a very good control effect. Herbicides can be selected for post-emergence weed control according to soil conditions, weed species, and weed age. For controlling monocotyledonous weeds, mainly quizalofop-p-ethyl, haloxyfop, and fluazifop-p-butyl, etc.; for controlling dicotyledonous weeds, mainly lactofen and fomesafen, etc. Within the 3-trifoliolate-leaf stage of soybean, spray 30 ml of 24% lactofen plus 30-35 ml of 12.5% haloxyfop emulsifiable concentrate per mu in 40-50 kg of water, which can simultaneously control monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weeds.

V. Timely control of diseases and pests

Focus on controlling soybean root rot, white grubs, soybean stem black fly, and other diseases and pests. For root rot, seed dressing can be done with 50% carbendazim-thiram mixture at 0.5% of seed weight or 50% carbendazim at 0.3% of seed weight. For underground pests such as white grubs and cutworms, seed dressing with agents such as phoxim or pre-emergence poisoned bait trapping can be used. For soybean stem black fly, systemic agents can be used 10-20 days after emergence. In the seedling stage, use agents such as imidacloprid to control piercing-sucking pests such as red spiders, aphids, tobacco whiteflies, and leafhoppers; in the middle and late stages, use organophosphorus and pyrethroid classes as well as high-grade emamectin benzoate and abamectin to control soybean semiloopers, leaf roller borers, clanis bilineata, locusts, tobacco cutworms, soybean pod borers, and fruit borers, etc.

VI. Harvest at the right time

Harvest immediately after soybean reaches full maturity. During mechanical harvesting, the combine harvester should be equipped with a soybean special header, or the header height of wheat and rice harvesters should be lowered. Generally, the header height should not exceed 17 cm, and the striking force of the reel on soybean plants should be reduced to lessen losses from pod shattering and grain loss. Correctly select and adjust the threshing cylinder speed and clearance to reduce the soybean seed breakage rate. If there are many weeds in the field, large weeds should be pulled by hand before harvest. Avoid dew during mechanical harvesting to prevent seeds from adhering to soil and affecting appearance quality.

(Ministry of Agriculture Soybean Expert Guidance Group, National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center)