How to Achieve High Yield and High Efficiency in Soybeans? Six Measures to Help You Get There

Matching superior varieties with good methods. While planting existing high-yield, high-quality soybean varieties in the project area, new and superior varieties such as Jidou No. 12, Handou No. 3, Jihuang No. 13, and Japanese high-oil soybean were introduced according to local conditions through a combination of introduction, demonstration, and promotion, bringing the coverage rate of superior varieties in the soybean project area to 100% and laying the foundation for matching superior varieties with good methods.

Seed dressing with molybdenum fertilizer to increase the pod-setting rate. In high-yield soybean areas, use 3 grams of ammonium molybdate per mu, dilute with water into a 2% solution, and dress 1 kg of soybean seed. According to multi-site trials, soybeans treated with molybdenum fertilizer for seed dressing reached a plant height of 83.9 cm, an increase of 6.3 cm over the control; had 3.5 effective branches, an increase of 0.8 over the control; promoted vegetative growth; effectively guaranteed the nutritional supply of the soybeans; and could significantly extend the reproductive growth period, advancing flowering, pod setting, and seed filling by 3 to 5 days and increasing yield by 27.5 kg compared with the control, with a yield increase rate of about 15%.

Promote narrow-row dense planting. Production practices over the past two years show that within a certain range, soybean yield increases with density. Taking Handou No. 3 as an example, when the planting density is 20,000 to 28,000 plants, the number of pods per mu tends to increase as density increases, and yield rises markedly, with an average yield increase of 6.4 to 32.1 kg per mu; 28,000 plants gave the highest yield, reaching 232 kg per mu. In the main high-quality soybean production areas, narrow-row dense planting cultivation technology for soybeans was promoted as a priority, with a plant spacing of 8 cm, a row spacing of 32 cm, and an average density of about 25,000 plants, giving full play to the population advantage for higher yield and achieving high soybean yields.

Scientifically manage fertilizer and water to achieve balanced nutrient supply. In order to increase fertilizer input and optimize fertilization methods, the principle is to apply more farmyard manure, supplement it with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and add potassium and micronutrient fertilizers. In the main soybean production areas of our city, the base fertilizer for spring soybeans averaged 5,500 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of diammonium phosphate, and 7.5 kg of urea per mu, and at the early flowering stage an average of 9.3 kg of urea per mu was applied. For summer soybeans sown on stubble without tillage, 25 kg of superphosphate was applied in furrows at the seedling stage, and at the early flowering stage 35 kg of ammonium bicarbonate or 10 kg of urea was applied per mu. At the pod-setting stage, a 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution was sprayed on the leaves 1 to 2 times.

Balanced formula fertilization is crucial to soybean yield. For plots that have not been treated with molybdenum seed dressing, spraying 25 grams of ammonium molybdate mixed with 25 to 50 kg of water per mu at the early flowering stage can significantly increase soybean yield per unit area, with a yield increase comparable to seed dressing, averaging 21.7 kg more per mu.

During the soybean growth period, water well at the seedling-promoting stage, the flowering stage, and the seed-filling stage. Pay special attention to the use of water at the flowering and pod-setting stage; during this period the soil should be kept moist, and flood irrigation should be avoided to prevent soil compaction or root rot.

Timely chemical control to prevent lodging. Three to 4 days after sowing and before emergence, apply 100 to 150 ml of 40% acetochlor emulsifiable concentrate per mu mixed with 40 to 50 kg of water for closed soil spraying to control weed occurrence at the seedling stage. From the early flowering stage to the full flowering stage, apply 40 to 50 grams of 15% paclobutrazol powder per mu mixed with 30 kg of water and spray evenly. This technique can effectively control vegetative growth, enhance reproductive growth, thicken stems, preserve flowers and pods, increase seed number and weight, promote early maturity, and produce a very obvious yield-increasing effect.

Full-course pest and disease control. For aphid control at the seedling stage, spray with a 3,000-fold dilution of 10% imidacloprid; for control of soybean pod borers, bean hawk moths, fruit borers, cotton bollworms, and others at the flowering and pod stage, spray with a 2,000-fold dilution of 20% fenvalerate or an 800-fold dilution of deltamethrin; for control of red spider mites, spray with a 1,000-fold dilution of 15% saomanjing or 20 grams of damanjing mixed with 30 to 40 kg of water. For control of soybean downy mildew and leaf spot disease, spray with an 800-fold dilution of 40% fenarimol or a 500- to 700-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder.