High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for the Super High-Yield Soybean Variety Tainan No. 6

New Soybean Variety "Tainan No. 6" for Both Cover Crop and Green Manure: Do you know the new soybean variety "Tainan No. 6"? Do you know its characteristics and the benefits of this variety? If not, but you still want to grow it, then let's take a look together.

Tainan No. 6 belongs to the legume green manure category, can increase organic fertilizer, reduce chemical fertilizer application, and after cultivation can reduce soil erosion, while also providing greenery and landscape beautification functions. Tainan No. 6 is suitable for hillside orchards, flatland orchards, and fallow field green manure cultivation. After promotion, it is expected to provide cover cultivation for tens of thousands of hectares of orchards in Taiwan, China, and with its long growth period, it should be the best choice for paddy and dry fields as both green manure and long-term field cover.

Characteristics of the New Variety

I. Agronomic Characteristics

1. Growth habit: Germination occurs about 3~7 days after sowing. Days to flowering are about 47~90 days in spring crop, 45~75 days in summer crop, and about 43~53 days in autumn crop. Growth duration is 179~190 days in spring crop, 118~139 days in summer crop, and 96~122 days in autumn crop. It is sensitive to light, and the plant is of indeterminate growth type.

2. Maturity: Late-maturing variety.

3. Disease resistance: Without inoculation with pathogens and without pesticide application, this variety showed no purple seed stain disease, and its infection rates for the main diseases downy mildew and rust were lower than those of Huwei green-skinned soybean.

4. Insect resistance: The damage ratio of insect hole area on plant leaves was lower than that of Huwei green-skinned soybean, meaning Tainan No. 6 suffers less damage from noctuid larvae.

5. Growth period: In orchard cover cultivation, sowing from early March, full coverage can be achieved by 60 days of growth, and fresh grass yield reaches its maximum at 120 days of growth, then gradually declines. The plants naturally dry up at 200 days of growth, and the branches and leaves cover the ground surface without needing plowing. Re-sowing the following spring achieves year-round coverage.

6. Green manure incorporation period: Tainan No. 6 has the highest fresh and dry grass yields and plant nutrient content during the pod-filling stage, so the optimal incorporation period as green manure is during the pod-filling stage.

7. Yield:

(1) Fresh grass yield:

At 80 days of growth, spring crop yields 19,717~35,000 kg per hectare, and summer crop yields about 17,333~34,667 kg per hectare.

(2) Seed yield:

Manual harvest yield per hectare is 1,634~2,233 kg.

II. Plant Characteristics

1. Plant: According to regional trial data, the average coverage height in spring crop is 50.7 cm, and the coverage height in summer crop is 48.0 cm. In spring crop, the main stem length at the late growth stage can reach 290~370 cm. In autumn crop for seed production, the main stem length is about 75.3~97.5 cm, with about 5~7 branches. The number of main stem nodes is 17~20.

2. Seedling: Hypocotyl is purple.

3. Stem: Green.

4. Leaves: Trifoliate compound leaves, leaflets ovate, leaf color bright green.

5. Flowers: Purple.

6. Pods: Pod shape is sickle-shaped, dark brown, covered with brown pubescence, with 2~3 seeds per pod.

7. Seeds: Elliptical, seed coat black with some dark brown mottling, cotyledons yellow, hilum black, 100-seed weight 5~8 grams.

Advantages of the Variety

1. Long growth period with good coverage effect: Tainan No. 6 under long days is of indeterminate growth type, with creeping growth habit, many branches, and strong regeneration ability. Coverage is not affected by missing plants. During the growth period, stems and leaves are luxuriant. Due to good nitrogen fixation, full coverage is achieved 50~60 days after sowing. The growth period lasts up to 190 days, with a strong weed suppression effect.

2. Significant effect in promoting fruit tree growth: Tainan No. 6 has water retention, fertilizer retention, and nitrogen fixation functions. After planting Tainan No. 6 between rows in a citrus orchard for one year and nine months, the citrus tree trunk base circumference increased by 10.9 cm, plant height increased by 93.5 cm, and canopy width increased by 344.7 cm, while in the manual mowing area, the citrus tree trunk base circumference increased by 8.3 cm and canopy width increased by 267.0 cm. Therefore, citrus trees in orchards planted with Tainan No. 6 grew better than those in the manual mowing area.

3. Easy cultivation and reduced orchard management costs: Tainan No. 6 uses seed sowing to establish orchard cover cultivation, which is fast and easy. The seeding rate per hectare is only about 15 kg. This variety has fewer pests and diseases than other soybeans. In the later stage, the dried plants do not need to be plowed under and form a natural mulch. The cost of cover cultivation with soybean for both cover crop and green manure per hectare can save 66,800 yuan in management costs compared with manual mowing orchards.

4. Adapted to spring and summer high-temperature and high-humidity environments for cultivation, and suitable for seed production in autumn: Tainan No. 6 is adapted to cultivation in Taiwan, China's high-temperature and high-humidity environment. For orchard cover cultivation, the sowing period is from early February to early July, and sowing once a year is sufficient. Autumn is suitable for seed production in southern China, increasing land use efficiency.

5. Suitable for green manure cultivation during the main crop fallow period in paddy and dry fields: Tainan No. 6 has high plant nutrient content. In spring crop at 80 days of growth, fresh grass yield is 35,000 kg per hectare, dry grass yield is 5,887 kg, and plant nutrient content is 171 kg nitrogen, 8 kg phosphorus, 120 kg potassium, 37 kg calcium, and 23 kg magnesium. In summer crop at 80 days of growth, fresh grass yield and dry grass yield per hectare are 25,467 kg and 3,963 kg respectively, and plant nutrient content is 128 kg nitrogen, 7 kg phosphorus, 84 kg potassium, 24 kg calcium, and 14 kg magnesium. It has a significant effect on improving soil fertility and a long coverage period, making it the best green manure and long-term field cover crop for paddy and dry fields.

III. Sowing Methods

1. Orchard cover cultivation:

Before sowing, thoroughly remove weeds from the orchard. Keep a distance of 1 meter from the fruit tree trunks and sow using a small cultivator-seeder or by hand, in rows with 60 cm row spacing. The soil covering depth should not be too deep.

2. Green manure cultivation:

(1) For dry field cultivation, after the previous crop is harvested, prepare the land, evenly broadcast the seeds in the field, then cultivate to cover the soil, or directly use machinery to make beds and sow.

(2) For paddy field cultivation, evenly broadcast the seeds on the field surface one day before rice harvest. On the next day, while harvesting the rice, use the combine harvester to finely cut and spread the rice straw to cover the seeds, which can save land preparation costs. Seed propagation sowing method: After land preparation, directly use machinery to make beds for cultivation, with a soil covering depth of 2~3 cm, not too deep.

IV. Other Precautions

1. Seed quality affects germination rate and early seedling growth vigor. Therefore, before planting, ensure the seed germination rate is above 90%. If the germination rate standard is not met, increase the seeding rate to achieve early coverage.

2. Keep the orchard or field soil moist during sowing to increase seedling emergence rate, enhance field coverage effect, and suppress weed growth.

3. Tainan No. 6 seeds are small, so the soil covering after sowing should not be too deep, to avoid excessive resistance for the hypocotyl and cotyledons to emerge, which would affect the germination rate. The ideal soil covering depth is 2~5 cm.

4. After sowing Tainan No. 6, at 50 to 60 days of growth, its stems and leaves can fully cover the orchard rows.

Cultivation Methods and Precautions

I.

Promotion areas: According to trial results, Tainan No. 6 is suitable for orchard row cover cultivation in Tainan, Chiayi, and Yunlin counties and cities, or as green manure cultivation in paddy and dry fields, and for autumn seed production in Tainan County.

II.

Uses, optimal sowing period, and density.