Expanding acreage of soybean production through adaptation by breeding, improved agronomic management and suitable processing technology

Cooperations

  • University of Applied Science, Osnabrück
  • Research Institute for Organic Agriculture(FiBL)
  • Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI)
  • Life Food GmbH
  • Naturland e.V.
  • Sojaförderring
  • University of Hohenheim
  • University of Kassel
  • Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil, ACW
  • University of NAtural Resiurces and Life Sciences, Vienna
  • Pflanzenzucht Oberlimpurg

Homepage

www.sojainfo.de

Funding

Federal Agency within the scope of Federal Scheme Organic Agriculture and Other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture (register number: 2811NA004)

Duration

1. January 2011 till 31. December 2013

Participants at FOEL

  • Thorsten Haase
  • Hannes Schulz
  • Anke Mindermann
  • Jürgen Heß

Soybean may be a promising alternative crop for organic farms and may cover the demand for regionally produced protein-rich feed crops. Under conditions of cool temperate climate, however, there is still a high risk of limited yield stability, because the temperature sum required for maturation and satisfying yields may not be accomplished in each season. The project is a cooperative project with several partners and aims to develop/identify genotypes with lower demand for elevated ambient temperatures, a higher suppression of or tolerance to weeds, improved N2 fixation and early maturation. The goal of the sub-project conducted the University of Kassel is the testing and development of innovative agronomic strategies that allow advanced early development of the crop, a prolonged growing period, and thereby higher soybean yields. For this purpose several randomized factorial experiments are conducted at the research farm of the University of Kassel, Hessian State Estate Frankenhausen in order to assess the effect of ridge cultivation and compost application on the early crop development and weed control efficiency. For the formation of N2 fixing nodules, soybeans need a specific strain of rhizobial bacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum), esp. on soils that have not been cropped with soybean before. In a second field experiment, the efficiency of different inoculants is examined. In addition to another experiment on the impact of sowing date on early crop development as well as yield and quality, a set of up to 20 different very early and early maturing cultivars is tested.