What causes empty pods in soybeans?
Soybean is a major food crop in China, with a very large planting area. Soybeans have very high nutritional value and are popular with many people. Although soybean cultivation techniques are simple and yields are relatively high, empty pods often appear during the growing process, seriously affecting yield. So what causes empty pods in soybeans? Below, the editor gives a brief introduction for everyone. Let's take a look!
1. Variety reasons
When planting soybeans, the choice of variety is very important. If the variety is chosen improperly, empty pods are very likely to appear. For example, some varieties with a high pod-setting rate and many seeds will have a relatively high rate of empty pods. Moreover, different varieties have different requirements for the growing environment and climate. Therefore, if a variety does not adapt to the local environment, a large number of shriveled grains are likely to appear. Especially for some relatively late-maturing varieties, if the temperature is low during seed filling, the seed-filling speed will decrease, thereby causing empty pods.
2. Climate influence
The climate environment has a very large impact on soybean growth. During the growth period of soybeans, if drought or waterlogging occurs, the rate of empty pods will increase. During the flowering and podding stage of soybeans, the impact caused by waterlogging is much greater than that of drought. It will not only cause empty pods, but also lead to lodging. In addition, at sowing time, if sowing is too late because of drought, the soybean growth period will be shortened and empty pods will be caused. If the temperature is too low in the later growth stage, it will inhibit soybean grain filling and likewise cause empty pods. High temperatures will cause soybeans to flower but not set fruit.
3. Lack of nutrients in the later stage
After soybeans enter the flowering stage, their demand for nutrients greatly increases. They will consume a large amount of nutrients, so in the later stage of soybean growth, we should pay attention to fertilization work and increase the amount of fertilizer applied. When many people interplant soybeans, if no base fertilizer is applied and no topdressing is done, nutritional deficiency is very likely during the full flowering stage of soybeans. Because of insufficient nutrients, the leaves will also show various adverse phenomena such as yellow leaves and short plants. This leads to late pods or weak, unfilled pods in the flower clusters at the same node, which is generally more common in varieties with poor soil fertility and a large number of flowers and pods.
4. Imbalance in nutrient proportions
During growth, soybeans need many nutrient elements. Many people ignore the supplementation of some trace elements, such as boron and molybdenum. The lack of these two elements is also a main cause of empty pods in soybeans. Boron and molybdenum are also indispensable trace elements in soybean growth and are directly related to soybean pod setting. If the soil has little boron and molybdenum and no topdressing work is done, then the rate of empty pods in soybeans will certainly increase. Especially for soybeans in continuous cropping plots, the rate of empty pods will be higher year after year.
The above is a brief introduction to what causes empty pods in soybeans. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!