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Soybean plant drawing. Soy: description, origin, beneficial properties

First, China imposed tariffs on American soybeans, and now it is going to wean its farmers off it completely.

As part of an escalating trade war between the two countries, China could face a possible soybean shortage after it imposed 25% tariffs on US soybean imports in July. China is the world's largest buyer of soybeans, using them as protein-rich feed for livestock such as pigs and chickens. China received more than a third from the United States. Following China's tariffs, futures prices fell more than 15% in August. This is a particularly sensitive topic for Trump, since China's soybean suppliers come from states whose voters especially actively supported him in the last election.

According to People's Daily, China is the largest importer of soybeans, purchasing approximately 60% of this type of legume on the world market. According to customs statistics, China's soybean imports totaled 93.49 million tons last agricultural year - 45.34 million tons from Brazil and 36.84 million tons from the United States.

One of the country's leading industry groups this month proposed reducing the amount of protein used in livestock feed, saying animals could get by with less soy. The China Feed Industry Association said dependence on imported soybeans was creating a vulnerability for the country's agricultural industry.

But this could be a complex task that is likely to take a long time and could cause disruption to China's agriculture industry.

The plan would inflict additional pain on U.S. farmers already suffering from tariffs and could ultimately mean China no longer needs U.S. soybeans. "This is directly related to the US-China trade war. We should expect China to completely stop imports of soybeans from the US," said Lauren Puett, director of research firm ChinaAg in Taiwan.

China has alternative sources of soybeans, the largest being Brazil, but it does not produce enough to replace US imports.

"Purchasing soybeans from a group of trading partners is expensive and inefficient. Companies are looking for cheaper, alternative sources of protein," said Ewen Pei, an agriculture analyst at Beijing-based research firm China Policy.

Chinese leaders are encouraging farmers to grow soybeans instead of other crops, but analysts say China is far from meeting its needs.

China's refusal to import U.S. soybeans would have major consequences for American farmers, who sold more than $12 billion of soybeans to China, their largest export market, last year. American farmers have repeatedly spoken about the threat to them from the trade war.

Five years ago, Beijing temporarily stopped accepting shipments of genetically modified American corn, another important animal feed, prompting Chinese farmers to switch to crops such as sorghum and barley. Since then, Chinese demand for American corn has not recovered.

In August, there were already signs that China was abandoning purchases of American soybeans. "Imports from the US have been almost non-existent in recent months," analysts at research firm Fitch Solutions wrote in a note to clients this week. This is largely because in Brazil soybeans are harvested in the first half of the year, while in the US they are harvested in the last quarter. The big test will come in the next few months as Brazil's supplies run dry.

"China will have to import soybeans from the US in the coming months," Fitch analysts said, predicting China will revert to Brazilians once they become available again early next year. Beijing's plans to wean the country off its dependence on imported soybeans "will take time and will be difficult to implement," Fitch analysts said.

Farmers can turn to alternative protein sources such as canola, cottonseed and sunflower. But it may not be an easy replacement. These crops are undersupplied in the market and new demand is likely to push up their prices.

Experts expect a rapid increase in supplies of soybeans to the Celestial Empire from Russia and other countries of the world. It is expected that a number of countries with large tracts of agricultural land, including Russia and Kazakhstan, will gradually increase soybean production and may become the main suppliers of this crop to China. Over the past three years, the volume of soybean exports from Russia has increased almost 3 times.

Soybean is a valuable food and feed crop; it is also used as a raw material for industrial production. Due to its high yield, high protein content and wide range of uses, soybean has become ubiquitous. World soybean production reaches almost 300 million tons and continues to grow every year. We’ll talk further about how to grow legumes on your own plot.

Description of culture

In agriculture, one type of soybean is popular, which is divided into three subspecies: Manchurian, Japanese and Chinese. This plant is native to the countries of East Asia, where it has been grown for more than 7 thousand years.

Appearance

Soybean belongs to the legume family and is an annual herbaceous plant. The stem is branched, spreading, reaches 50-80 cm in height, but there are dwarf species (with a stem height of up to 25 cm) and giant ones (with a stem height of up to 2 m).

The root system is taprooted, the main root is short, from which many lateral shoots branch off to the sides. The roots can go 2 meters deep into the soil.

The leaves are trifoliate, varied in shape and size: they can be from 1.5 to 12 cm in width, from 4 to 18 cm in length. The shape varies from round, ovate, to lanceolate.

The flowers are located in the axils of the leaves, miniature, white or purple, odorless.
The pods are up to 6 cm long, light brown or brown in color, and contain 3-4 seeds inside. Soybean seeds can be yellow, green, brown or black, oblong or round in shape.

Characteristic

Soybeans have very high yields, which continue to grow thanks to the work of breeders. The average yield of this crop per 1 hectare is 2.2-2.6 tons, however, depending on climatic conditions and care, up to 4-4.5 tons per hectare can be harvested.

The leaders in world soybean production and export are the USA (30% of world production), Brazil and Argentina. Soybeans are also grown on a large scale in East Asian countries (China, Indonesia, India), Ukraine and Russia, and Latin American countries (Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay).

According to the length of the growing season, the following varieties are distinguished:

early ripening (80-100 days);
early ripening (100-120 days);
mid-season (120-140 days);
late ripening (140-150 days).

Did you know? China consumes more than 2/3 of the world's soybean production. This huge demand for the product has arisen as a result of the growth of the agricultural industry and the high demand for livestock feed.

Do you need soybeans at your dacha?

So far, this legume crop is not particularly popular among summer residents; Moreover, when mentioned, many people have bad associations with supposedly meat products that actually contain only soy.

Soybean is considered a field crop and in the vast majority of cases it is grown on an industrial scale, but it is quite possible to grow a legume plant on your own plot.

There are several reasons for this:

ease of cultivation;
cleaning the soil from weeds (since soybeans are a row crop);
saturating the soil with nitrogen and useful substances for the further cultivation of other crops;
good yield.

To get a rich harvest, you must choose varieties in accordance with the climatic conditions of your area.

Conditions for growing soybeans

The right choice of location and soil will significantly increase the chances of reaping a good harvest. It is also important to analyze what crops were previously grown on the site, since soybean is not compatible with some plants.

Selecting a location

This plant loves light and warmth, the intensity of photosynthesis, biological nitrogen fixation, plant nutrition and, ultimately, yield will depend on these indicators. To plant the plant, you need to choose a well-lit area.

It is also important to consider that soybean is a pronounced representative of short-day plants. This means that the optimal dark time for fruiting and flowering is 12 hours. If daylight hours increase, legume flowering slows down.

Soil requirements

In general, soybean is not demanding on soil - it can grow even in poor sandy soils, but its yield will be extremely low. The plant feels best in chernozem and chestnut soils, as well as reclaimed turf soils.
The best yields of grain and green parts can be obtained on fertile soils, rich in minerals and calcium, with good drainage and air exchange. It is optimal to plant the plant on soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

Without reclamation, soybeans should not be planted on the following types of soil:

on acidified soils;
on marshy soils;
on salt marshes.

Important! Soybean is very sensitive to excess moisture: close groundwater and short-term flooding can greatly weaken the root system and deprive the plant of nutrition, resulting in weak, painful and defective crops. Sometimes severe waterlogging of the soil can completely destroy the entire crop.

It is also very important to take care of spring and autumn soil preparation. This includes the following stages: peeling, plowing and fertilizing. The first two stages ensure loosening of the soil, due to which it is saturated with oxygen and gets rid of weeds, and it becomes easier for roots to germinate.
Humus must be added as fertilizer. In the spring, before planting soybeans, you need to harrow the soil to a depth of 6 cm. This will retain moisture in the ground, completely remove weeds and level the surface for convenient and quick planting.

The best predecessors

In the middle zone, the best predecessors of legumes are the following plants:

cereal herbs;
winter wheat and other grains.

By the way, the listed crops, as well as millet, are best planted in the area where soybeans are cultivated, that is, it is useful to alternate these plants on the same piece of land. Soybeans can be planted in one area for 2-3 years without damaging the soil.

After this period, the soil needs a 2-year rest, during which the soil is sown with another crop.

It is important to know after which plants soybeans cannot be planted:

leguminous crops;
leguminous grasses (,).

Sowing rules

Compliance with agricultural technology will allow you to get a decent harvest of legumes even in a small area. Next, we’ll look at how to prepare the seeds and soil, how to calculate the timing, and also find out the planting scheme for the soybean plant.

Did you know? Soy sauce made by fermenting beans has a special name for its flavor, “umami.” Umami - meat taste - is considered one of the basic ones, along with salty, sour, sweet and bitter.

Optimal timing

The timing of sowing is determined by the degree of warming of the upper layers of the soil.
It is optimal to plant the plant when the earth warms up to 10-15°C, but if rapid warming is observed, the crop can be planted at a temperature of 6-8°C.

Typically, this temperature regime is established at the end of April - the first half of May, but you need to navigate solely by the weather conditions of your region. If frost occurs during the seedling germination stage, the crop may die.

If you plan to plant several different varieties, you should start with the late-maturing ones and plant the early-maturing varieties last.

If you sow grains too early (in cold soil), the risk of disease and pests increases significantly, the bushes will be weak, long and poor in beans. If the planting time is correctly calculated, seedlings appear on the 5-7th day.
If after 9 days there are no shoots, this indicates that the plant was planted too early.

Seed preparation

In industrial growing conditions, seeds are treated with special preparations before planting, the amount of which is calculated per ton of seed. Of course, at home, when you are going to grow a very small amount of a legume plant on a plot, this is impossible to do.

However, if you purchase high-quality and healthy seed from special stores, chemical treatment can be avoided.

A mandatory preparatory procedure is the treatment of soybeans with microbiological inoculants. Thanks to the procedure, the roots of the plant will be completely filled with nitrogen. The preparations are sold in specialized gardening stores and come in two types: dry peat-based inoculants and liquid concentrates.

Important!Remember that you need to treat the seeds immediately before sowing (12 hours before). The treated seed must not be exposed to sunlight!

Sowing scheme

On an industrial scale, seeders are used for sowing legumes, but in a small home plot this process is carried out manually. It is necessary to make grooves on the site, the distance between which is determined by the soybean variety and the size of the bush.

For most early ripening varieties, a distance of 20-40 cm is sufficient; if you use a late-ripening variety, the distance between the rows increases to 60 cm. The furrows need to be moistened with water at room temperature.

The depth of the seeds is 3-5 cm - planting soybeans at 6 cm or deeper will be risky, since you may not wait for shoots.
It is necessary to maintain a distance between seeds of up to 5 cm. This is a rather dense sowing, but it is worth taking into account that some of the seeds will not germinate. If the seedlings are very dense, they can always be thinned out, keeping the distance between the sprouts to 20 cm.

It must be taken into account that soybean requires enough space and light for normal development, therefore the distance between the bushes should be large. Plants should not shade each other.

Cultivation care

Basic rules of care include:

Watering. In general, soybean is considered a drought-resistant plant and does not require additional watering at first. The main thing is that there is enough moisture in the soil at the time of planting. However, watering becomes necessary starting at the end of June, when soybeans enter the active period of bud formation and the daytime temperature reaches 30°C. Water consumption is as follows: 5 liters per 1 m2.

Mulching the earth. This procedure helps retain moisture in the soil. For mulching, you can use humus or peat. If you do not mulch, you must loosen the soil with a hoe after watering.
Weed control. It is especially important to prevent the appearance of weeds in the first month and a half after planting, since soybean sprouts are still very weak and weeds can easily clog them. Weeds can be removed through chemical treatment or manually. Herbicides (for example, Roundup) can be applied twice: a few days and a month after planting.

Harrowing or loosening. The first method is suitable for large areas, the second - for processing a compact area. Harrowing is carried out several times: 4 days after sowing, after the formation of two leaves (when the sprout reaches 15 cm) and after the formation of the third leaf.
Protection from cold weather. In the first weeks after planting, all sowing work can go down the drain even from a slight frost. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the weather - in case of cold snaps down to -1°C, the crops must be covered.

Harvesting

After 100-150 days from planting (depending on the variety), you can begin harvesting.

Signs of ripeness

Early-ripening varieties can be harvested as early as mid-August, late-ripening varieties ripen in mid-to-late September.

You can tell that it’s time to harvest by the following signs:

the pods are easily separated, and the seeds are simply separated;
the plant turns yellow;
leaves fall.

Important!Harvesting should not be delayed - although soybean pods crack less than other legumes, delaying harvest can result in significant losses of beans.

Harvesting Methods

On an industrial scale, special machines are used to harvest soybeans, but you can harvest the crop manually on your own plot. This will not take much time, and the loss of legumes will be minimal.
It is best to cut (mow) the plant near the root, leaving the root part in the ground. Special thickenings form on the roots - the microorganisms living there will be able to process nitrogen and enrich the soil with it. This will have a beneficial effect on the subsequent harvest in this area.

After cutting the plants, they are put into bunches and hung in a dry, well-ventilated room for ripening. You can use a barn or attic for this purpose.

This method is extremely effective if there was rain during the harvest period and the seeds were too saturated with moisture. After a few weeks, the pods can be threshed.

Features of soybean storage

The main rule for long-term storage of soybeans is control of air humidity. The fact is that soy is very hygroscopic, so the humidity in the room should not exceed 10-13%.
Under such conditions, the shelf life of legumes reaches 1 year. If the humidity is 14% or higher, the shelf life of the product is reduced to 3 months.

Seeds should be stored in fabric bags or thick cardboard boxes in a dark place. A pantry, a dry closet, a glazed balcony or the far shelves of kitchen cabinets are ideal for this purpose.

A few more important rules for successful harvest preservation:

the beans must be carefully sorted and spoiled, rotten and damaged ones must be eliminated;
Beans should be stored away from other foods;
If any odor begins to emanate from the soybean, this indicates that the product is spoiled.

Many dishes can be prepared from soybeans, ranging from meat surrogates to coffee. Therefore, it is convenient to always have supplies of a healthy legume product on hand.

Despite some peculiarities of agricultural technology, in general, growing soybeans is not difficult, and even a novice summer resident can get a good harvest of this crop.

First, China imposed tariffs on American soybeans, and now it is going to wean its farmers off it completely.

But this could be a complex task that is likely to take a long time and could cause disruption to China's agriculture industry.

China has alternative sources of soybeans, the largest being Brazil, but it does not produce enough to replace US imports.

Chinese leaders are encouraging farmers to grow soybeans instead of other crops, but analysts say China is far from meeting its needs.

Experts expect rapid growth in Russian soybean supplies to China

Random cooking tip:

5. To make the liver softer, keep it 2-1.5 hours before cooking in cold milk or clean water

Read the article: Beneficial properties of soybeans.

Today, soy is the most versatile product. They can replace both meat and vegetables. Often soy is served in its natural form. One way or another, soy has a huge number of beneficial properties. It is these beneficial properties that we will tell you about.

Soybean is a plant of the legume genus. By the way, this plant is one of the most ancient crops grown by humans. It is believed that the birthplace of soybeans is Southeast Asia. According to some reports, it has been cultivated there for five thousand years. Today, soybeans are grown on every continent. The exception is Antarctica.

Along with all legumes, soybeans contain large amounts of protein. That is why this plant is preferred as an alternative to meat by some people. Soy is widely used in preparing a variety of dishes. It is used to replace meat, and desserts and drinks are also prepared with its addition. The main soy products include: a large number of sauces, butter, milk, tofu, soy meat and soy flour.

Due to the presence of a large amount of protein in soybeans, soybeans are an excellent product for people who prefer plant-based foods (vegetarians).

Products made from soy are recommended for people who suffer from metabolic disorders, diseases such as gastritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers and so on. Due to stachyoses and raffinoses included in soybeans, which represent the main nutrient for bifidobacteria found in the stomach. With their regular use, the risk of cancer and dysbacteriosis is reduced. According to some scientists, these elements significantly prolong life.

Soy is one of the most effective remedies that protects against osteoporosis. Thanks to isoflavones, elements included in soy, the deficiencies of estrogen are compensated.

Soy also contains quite a large amount of calcium. Calcium is known to help strengthen bones.

It should also be noted that soy is useful for people who are overweight. Due to lecithin, which takes part in fat metabolism, the fat mass in the liver is significantly reduced. This speeds up metabolism.

Thanks to lecithin, which is also contained in soy, cholesterol in the human body is reduced.

Characteristics of soybeans

Soybean is a plant belonging to the legume family. This culture originated in Asia and gradually spread throughout the world. Today, soybeans are grown in Europe, North and South America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Almost all existing soybean varieties are climbing perennials. But it is cultivated soybeans that are grown for food consumption.

Soybean seeds are called soybeans. Soybeans are a popular and well-known food product all over the world. Due to its incredibly high yield and nutritional value, soybean is rightly called a “miracle plant.” And this title is well deserved, because the amount of vegetable protein in each soybean seed is almost half of its total mass. That is why soy began to be used as an inexpensive meat substitute.

Thanks to its composition, soy has become an indispensable product for people suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and kidney and liver diseases.

The height of plants can be very different - from 15-20 cm to several meters. The stems can be thin or thick, sometimes they are bare and sometimes pubescent.

The soybean fruit or bean contains two or three oval-shaped seeds. But the sizes of the seeds can be very different, but the most common are medium-sized seeds weighing 150-200 g.

Soybeans love warmth. Shoots appear at a temperature of +14 °C. But for rapid growth and ripening of soybeans, a higher temperature is needed - about 21-25°C.

Soybean is not afraid of drought, but during flowering and development of beans, the plant still needs moisture, otherwise the ovaries may dry out. Therefore, when growing soybeans in hot, dry climates, irrigation is essential. Do not over-moisten the soil on which soybeans grow, as this can cause the death of the plant's roots. The soil moisture level should not exceed 80%.

The growing season for soybeans increases as you move north, since soybeans are a short-day crop. However, today there are many new varieties adapted for growing in long daylight conditions.

When growing soybeans, remember that this crop prefers loose soils that have a neutral reaction. Never grow soybeans in acidic soils, as this will disrupt the plant’s nutritional mechanism and lead to a sharp reduction in yield.

Agricultural technology

Before sowing soybean seeds, it is necessary to cultivate the soil - carry out early plowing to a depth of 25 cm. When cultivating the soil, it is important to remove all existing weeds.

Before planting soybean seeds, they must be cleaned and treated with nitragine. The soil temperature at the time of planting the seeds should be about +15 °C. The distance between the rows in the garden bed is from 30 to 60 cm, which depends on the climate and humidity. The optimal planting depth for soybean seeds is 5 cm.

Proper care of soybean crops includes harrowing the soil before emergence, thoroughly destroying weeds, weeding and loosening the soil.

Soybeans can be fertilized with various fertilizers, but the emphasis should still be placed on phosphorus fertilizers. Soybean responds very well to complex application of mineral and organic fertilizers.

Soybean maturity occurs when the plant's beans turn brown and the leaves turn yellow and fall off. On agricultural land, combines or harvesting machines are used to harvest soybeans.

In order for soybean seeds to be stored for a long time, the beans must be dried and threshed, and then stored in a layer no more than one meter high at a relative humidity of 12%.

Secrets of Successful Soybean Growing

When growing soybeans, the following rules of agricultural technology must be observed:

1. Soybean blooms quickly and grows better with short daylight hours.

2. Frosts can damage seedlings, so soybeans should be planted when the soil is sufficiently warm and dry.

3. The presence of fertile soil is one of the main conditions for successful soybean cultivation. Grow soybeans in black soil, loamy and sandy loam soils.

4. Before planting soybeans, add superphosphate and rotted manure to the soil.

5. When plants are flowering, be sure to feed them with complex fertilizer.

6. Soybeans, like any other agricultural crop, grow best in well-kept soils. Try to regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil.

7. Soybeans have a powerful root system, so this crop is not afraid of short-term drought. But if there is excess moisture, there will not be a high yield. Water soybeans based on soil moisture and climate.

8. The area where soybeans are grown must be sunny. Avoid shady and darkened areas.

10. There is one good remedy in the fight against the destruction of soybean seeds by mice - before sowing, they need to be dipped in melted paraffin.

11. As you know, soybeans ripen in August-September if the weather is dry. But what to do when it starts to rain during this period? It's simple: you need to pull out the plants by the roots and hang them in a dry room where the soybeans will ripen quietly.

12. The surest ways to increase soybean yield by up to 50% are updating varieties, crop rotation every three to four years and improving agricultural technology.

Possible difficulties

Soybeans can suffer from pests, as well as bacterial and fungal diseases. There are about 30 types of diseases in total. The most dangerous of them destroy about 40% of the crop.

During the entire growing season, soybeans are affected by various pests. In spring, the crop suffers from weevil larvae, click beetles, fall armyworms, meadow moths, burdocks, aphids and spider mites. And in the summer, the same spider mites and bean moths cause the greatest damage to crops.

Most often, the appearance and reproduction of pests is caused by unfavorable climatic conditions (drought or high soil and air humidity), frost, poor soil and the presence of weeds.

The most effective means in the fight against soybean pests have always been considered, first of all, compliance with agricultural technology and the application of complex fertilizers.

The healthiest seeds that will give a high yield will be seeds treated with drugs such as foundationazole or ferazim. They need to be treated about a month before planting.

If insects do attack plants, it is worth using chemicals based on malathion or cypermethrin - they will help in the fight against the fall armyworm, meadow moth, leaf beetle, soybean moth and bean moth. And in order to save soybeans from spider mites, use the preparations “Karate” or “Omite”.

The appearance of pests can be avoided if soybean seeds are planted on time, alternate watering and fertilizing, and regularly remove weeds. If the climate is dry, soybeans need to be watered more often, and if there is high humidity in the air and soil, water the plants moderately and not too often. When growing soybeans, it is also extremely important to observe crop rotation - this will help get rid of both pests and diseases.

The most dangerous fungal diseases of soybean are white and ash rot, fusarium and diaspora. The sources of these diseases are fungal spores that are found both in the seeds themselves and in the soil. To avoid these diseases, you must strictly follow all the rules of agricultural technology. If the seeds are of high quality and the soil is well-groomed and cultivated, there will be no serious problems or crop losses.

Soybean often suffers from bacterial and viral diseases - angular spot, bacterial wilt or soybean mosaic. Most often, viral diseases are transmitted by insect pests, such as aphids.

The appearance and development of such diseases can be prevented, for which it is necessary not only to prepare the soil and seeds in advance, but also to carefully examine the crops to identify the first signs of the disease.

Often, pest larvae or viruses and bacteria that provoke certain soybean diseases are found precisely on the leaves and stems of weeds - field thistle, creeping wheatgrass, thistle, millet, knotweed, cocklebur, and field mustard. This is why weeds are very dangerous; they need to be removed carefully and as often as possible. Herbicides are ideal for removing weeds; they need to be applied to the soil twice - before sowing and during the growing season.

Try to grow soybeans on your plot - and you will see the low demands and excellent productivity of this wonderful agricultural crop.

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