Preparation/Planting Soya Beans

Land preparation is a critical stage in the soyabean production cycle, says Bernard Moobwe 30, a young Soya beans farmer based in Chibombo district of central province.

And according to some agricultural experts, Soybean which is in a family of legumes, have the capability to fix nitrogen and can be grown all over Zambia, but it does not do so well in sandy soils.

Mr. Moobwe states that poorly prepared land may result in soil erosion, poor germination, weed infestation and harvesting losses.
He says in preparing the seed bed, land must be cultivated and harrowed if necessary to obtain a fine tilth.

And Mr. Moobwe who is an agronomist by profession states that soybean, just like groundnuts, is a perfect crop for crop rotation.

“If one has to get a good crop, planting has to be done by mid- November though planting can go on until mid-December depending on the variety. The recommended seed rate for planting ranges from 80kg of seed to 100kg though some farmers go as high as 120kg per hectare,” he said.

He notes that some commercial farmers have gone up to 130kg per hectare but this tends to have a negative bearing on the yield because of plant etiolation as such rates give a plant population as high as 450,000 plants.

Soybean seed loses viability quickly and a germination test as close as possible to sowing time is essential if one is keeping his own seed, otherwise it is recommended to buy fresh seed every year even though it is an open pollinated crop.

“At planting the soil temperature needs to be above 14oC for successful germination but above 25oC is optimum for rapid emergence. Sowing depth is important for good establishment, too shallow will lead to desiccation of the seed but too deep can mean seedlings failing to emerge, 5cm is usually optimal,” Mr. Moobwe said.

There you have it! Kindly take time to attempt the following Questions;

QUESTION 1

*When is the appropriate season to plant Soya beans in Zambia and why?

QUESTION 2

*State reasons why it is important for farmers to grow soya beans?

‍