Soya

Land Requirements Land tobe used for seed production shall be free of volunteer plants. In addtion, the field should be well-drained.  
Isolation Requirements

The dehiscence of anthers takes place in the bud itself before the opening of the flower and hence, normally self-pollination takes place. Cross-pollination by insects is usually less than one per cent. An isolation of three metres from other fields of soybean is sufficient to maintain genetic purity.

Cultural Practices

Time of Sowing First fortnight of July is the most appropriate ;time for sowing soybean seeds.
  


Preparation of Land Prepare the seed field to fine tilth by deep ploughing and two to three harrowings followed by levelling.


Source of Seed Obtain breeder's/foundation seeds from source approved by a seed certification agency.


Seed Rate 65 to 70 kg per hectare.


Method of Sowing The seed crop must be planted in rows with a drill. the depth of seeding should be 2 to 3 cm in fields where soil moisture conditions are optimum. Seeding upto 4 cm depth can be done on light soils.


Fertilisation Apply 20 to 25 kg nitrogen, 80 to 100 kg phosphorus and 30 to 40 kg potash per hectare, at the time of sowing. If zinc deficiency is noticed, spray zinc sulphage and lime mixture on the crop.


Spacing Row to row                45 to 60 cm
Plant to plant               4 to 5cm


Irrigation Irrigate the crop as and when required. there should be adequate moisture in the soil, particularly during flowering, seed development and the maturation stage to obtain high seed yields. Therefore, one totwo irrigation in September may be necessary.


Interculture To obtain good seed yield, effective weed control from the beginning is absolutely necessary. Weed control by two or three hand weedings, orwith seedicides such as lasso (4 kg per hectare) should be adopted, if required.


Insect and Disease Control Adopt recommended IPM methods


Roguing Start roguing plants affected by yellow mosaic virus and soybean mosaic virus as soon as they appear, so as to check further spread up to first two to three weeks. Continue removal of plants affected by soybean mosaic upto last. At flowering stage remove off-type plants on the basis of plant characteristics and flower colour. Do final roguing at maturity stage, to rogue out off-type plants on the basis of pod characters.


Harvesting and Threshing

The time of harvest and method of threshing is most important for maintaining seed quality. Experiments conducted as Mississippi State University. U.S.A. indicate that crop harvested in the second week of October retained higher germination than crop harvested in the second week of December. Therefore, to retain higher seed germination harvest the crop as soon as it isready for harvest. Moisture content ofsoybean at thisstage is around 13 to 14 per cent. Harvesting may be done by hand, or the crop can be directly combined.


Seed Yield The average seed yield from good crop of soybean varies between 20 to25 qtl per hectare.