SOYABEAN PACKAGE OF PRACTICES

SOYABEAN PACKAGE OF PRACTICES

It is a potential oilseed crop of the country and contains about 20% oil and 40% high quality protein. A large number of Indian and western dishes such as bread, ‘chapati’, milk, sweet, pastries etc., can be prepared with soybean. It is grown as a pure crop as well as intercrop with maize, ragi, arhar etc. Soybean oil is used for manufacturing vanaspati ghee and several other industrial products. Soybean is used for making high protein food for children. It is widely used in the industrial production of different antibiotics.

          Soybean builds up the soil fertility by fixing large amount of atmospheric nitrogen through the root nodules, and also through leaf fall on the ground at maturity. It can be used as fodder, forage can be made into hay, silage etc. its forage and cake are excellent nutritive foods for livestock and poultry. Soybean being the richest, cheapest and easiest source of best quality protein and fats and having a vast multiplicity of uses as food and industrial products is called a wonder crop. So,it is important to follow the proper cultural practices in right manner. This article provides information on different cultural practices to be followed in soyabean crop for sustainable production. 

Soil:

Well drained loamy and sandy loam soil are most suitable. Low lying areas where water stagnation during raining rainy season may occur should be avoided . Two cross ploughing are sufficient to get the soil well pulverized and weed free land.

Apply lime @ 500kg/ha in furrows and incorporate to the soil at least 1-2 weeks before sowing the crop.

FIELD PREPARATION:

Prepare the land to get fine tilth and form beds and channels.

Sowing:

June-July in summer and August-September for winter plantation. Sowing in mid June in the higher region is found to be most suitable. Seeds are sown at a depth of 3-5cm at a spacing of 45X10cm. Spacing may be reduced in terraces where water retention is low.

Seed rate: 70- 75kg/ha would be sufficient for pure stand.

Seed Treatment:

Treat the seed with thiram,or captan @ 3g/kg of seed to check the seed born disease.

Fertilizer management:

Soybean being a leguminous crop does not require high dose of nitrogen, however 20kg/ha is sufficient for healthy crop stand. A dose of 60 kg P2O5 (SSP) and 30kg K2O (MOP) are recommended. FYM @ 5t/ha.

Weed management : 

The crop should be kept weed free up to 60 DAS Two hand weeding (20DAS and 40DAS) are sufficient for higher yield Among weed control, pre emergence application of pendimethalin @ 0.75a.i/ha and one hand weeding at 40 DAS and Butachlor @1kg a.i/ha and one handweeding registered higher seed yield.

Irrigation: 

Soybean is grown during Kharif season and due to high rainfall no irrigation is needed. However water stress should be avoided during flowering and pod formation stage of the crop.

Cropping system:

 Intercropping of soybean with maize (2:1) and Rice (3:1) has been found promising.

Southern Region:

  • Wheat-soybean-finger millet-peas,
  • oat-cowpea-barley-soybean, 
  • soybean-finger millet-beans, 
  • soybean-wheat-groundnut

Interropping followed in Southern region:

  • Soybean + pigeon pea, 
  • Soybean + finger millet, 
  • Soybean + sugarcane,
  • Soybean + sorghum, 
  • Soybean + groundnut, 
  • Soybean in coconut/ mango/ guava orchard and soybean in agro-forestry.

Plant Protection:

Major pests of soybean include Leaf folder, Semilooper, Stem fly etc. They can be controlled by spraying Nuvacron1.25ml/lit or Dimethoate(0.04%) Seed treatment with Imidachloprid @7g/kg of seed reduces the problem of Leaf folder.

1. Stemfly:

Scientific name: Melanogromyza sojae 

  • It is a serious pest of soybean in northern region of India. 
  • Adults feed by making multiple punctures which appear as white spots on leaves. 
  • Eggs are laid in the soft tissues of the leaf and hatch in two to seven days.
  •  Larvae start feeding on the leaf and move towards the center of the stem, penetrating through the petiole.
  •  In two to three days maggots reach the stem and undergo three to four molts.
  • When an infested stem is split open a distinct tunnel can be seen corresponding to the area eaten by the maggot.
  • The infected plants show partly dries and drooping leaves.3

 Control Measures:

  • Apply Thimet 10% granules at the arte of 10kg per hectare or Disystone 5% granules at the rate of 20kg per hectare in soil before sowing.

2. Semilooper:

Scientific name: Chrysodeixis acuta

  • Adults are medium sized moths with a metallic yellow patch in the fore wing. 
  • Eggs are laid singly on both sides of leaves. In three to four days, the pale greenish-white larvae emerge and feed singly on the soft tissues, leaving the veins.
  •  Fully developed larvae are green with the distinct black and deep green longitudinal lines along the body.
  •  A severe infestation will leave the plant with only its main branches. 

Control Measures:

  • Spray crop either with phosphamidon at the rate of 250 millilitres per hectare in 1000 litres of water or Endosulfan 35EC at the rate of 1 litre per hectare dissolve in 800 litres of water.

3. Leaf folder:

 Scientific name: Omiodes indicata

  • The larva is whitish green remain within folded leaflet and scrap chlorophyll leading to the complete dry-up of leaves, causing upto 9.3 % yield loss.
  •  The economic injury level (EIL) for leaf folders is 8-9 larvae /plant. The larvae feed on the leaves by folding them either from the tip inwards or along the mid-rib and webbing the folds with the help of white resinous substance exuded by the larvae. 
  • Webbing of several leaves especially at the apical end of the braches is very common.
  • The adult moth of N. vulgalis is creamy yellow to light brown with oblique black wavy lines on both pairs of wings and the adult of N. diemenalis is yellowish brown covered with black blotch on both the pairs of wings. 
  • The pest is found active in second fortnight of July to last week of September. 

Control Measures: 

  • Spray Thiodan 35EC at the rate of 1 litre per hectare in 1000 litres of water or Ekalux 25EC at the rate of 1.25 litres per hectare in 1000 litres of water.

Disease Management:

Leaf Blight, Leaf Spot, Seedling Rot, Frog eye and Rust are major diseases of Soybean . Seed Treatment with Thiram@3g/kg was found effective Application of Dithane M-45@ 0.2% solution or Topsin M@2g/l water is recommended for effective control of diseases.

1. Seed, Seedling Rot: 

Casual organism: Phythium spp,Rhizoctinia solani, or Phytopthera spp.

  • Poor emergence due to the seed rotting fungi is a very common problem with soybean.
  • The seed may rot soon after planting before it germinates. 
  • The seedling may rot before or soon after emergence.
  •  A number of fungi could be responsible for these rots. These are: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium sp. F. semitectum, Macrophomina phaseoli etc. 
  • All of these fungi are associated with soybean seed and some of these survive in soil.

Control Measures:

  • Seed treatment with Thiram at the rate of 4.5g per kg of seed will control effectively these diseases.

2. Pod blight or Anthracnose: 

Casual organism: Collelotrichum trunchatum

  • This disease is caused by a fungus Colletotrichum truncatum. 
  • The pods first become yellowish-green and soon dry out. 
  • Consequently, seed formation is seriously affected. 
  • The seeds in diseased pods may be shriveled and mouldy.

Control Measures:

  • Spray Zineb at the rate of 2.5 kg per hectare in 1000 litres of water.
  •  Plant resistant varieties like Bragg.

3. Rust: 

Casual organism: Phakopsora pachyrhizi

  • The leaves show brownish pistules, covering almost the entire leaf surface. 
  • Loose brown powder, characteristic of rust may be present on the leaves. 
  • Leaves turn brown within a period of time.

Control Measures:

  • Grown resistant varieties like Ankur. 
  • Spray Dithane M-45 or Difolitan at the rate of 2.5 kg per hectare in 1000 litre of water.

4. Yellow Mosaic:

Casual organism: Soyabean yellow mosaic virus 

 Vector: Whitefly

  • This is the most damaging and wide spread disease of soybean in India.
  • The leaves show bright yellow, somewhat diffused patches which increase in size and then coalesce, making the leaf almost completed yellow. 
  • The newer leaves show yellow mosaic. 
  • The casual organism is a virus which is transmitted by whitefly (Bemisia tobaci). The same virus affects many other pulses crops.
  •  Whitefly can breed on a large number of plants.
  •  If the plants are infected within 75 days after planting, the yield reductions are significant but infection after 75 days result into nonsignificant yield losses.

Control Measures: 

  • Grow resistant varieties like Alankar, Shilajit etc. 
  • Use of regular insecticidal sprays e.g., Metasystox 25 EC at the rate of 1kg per hectare in 1000 litres of water at 10 days intervals followed by rouging till crop is 75 days old is recommended.

Harvesting and Threshing: When soybean plants mature they start dropping their leaves. The leaves turn yellow and drop and pods dry out quickly. Threshing can be done by beating or trampling. 

Potential yield: 25-30q/ha or 6.25-7.5q/ acre.

 

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