Vegetable soybeans
Soybeans have a very high nutritional value; the protein it contains (ok. 40%) has a biological value similar to that of meat. Besides, the seeds contain up to 20% high edible fat and vitamins C and B.
Soy is a thermophilic plant, requiring a lot of sunlight, especially during the flowering period. The most suitable growing areas are: south-eastern part of the country and south-western voivodships. Soybeans do best on permeable lightweight clay, lessie, black earth and black earth. It cannot be grown on wet and acidic soils, and also on light, dry sands and crusted soils, heavy. In crop rotation, it is best to cultivate it after root crops, in the third year after manure or compost on fertile soils, and in the second year on poorer sites. Soybean plants develop slowly at first, therefore they are easily weeded. In the fall or spring, fertilization with phosphorus and potassium is applied, as for other legumes. We do not use nitrogen fertilization at all on fertile soils, carious, and not more on others 4 dag in the pure component na 10 m2, in two doses, i.e.. 2 dag after sunrise and 2 dag at the beginning of flowering. Otherwise, the plants will bulge excessively. Multi-component mineral fertilizer can be used for fertilization.
Before sowing the seeds, it is good to inoculate the soil with nitragine (gray powder, containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the air), which enables plants to extract free nitrogen from the air. Such inoculation should be carried out by thoroughly mixing nitragon with soil in a separate vessel, and then scattering it over the entire surface intended for soybeans and raking. The sows are sown at the end of April or the first days of May, when the soil temperature reaches 8-10 ° C. We sow in a row spacing at 20 cm, placing the seeds in a row co 4-5 cm to a depth of approx 3 cm. On 10 m2 you need approx 20 nation day. The tending work consists in hoeing between the rows in order to prevent weed infestation and to protect against pecking of seeds from the soil by birds.
The soybeans are harvested after the plants are fully mature, usually in the last days of August or the first decade of September. Mature plants lose their leaves, are brown in color and have from 20 do 40 pods, in which the seeds rattle when shaken by hand. Pull the plants out on a sunny day and after hulling the pods; Spread the seeds in a thin layer in a ventilated room.
In Poland, we have two varieties of soybeans: Warszawska and Progres. Warszawska is an early variety, quite fertile. The plant has a concentrated habit, grows up to 60 cm and more. The pod is short (do 6 cm in length), falcate, sand beige, contains 1-2 oval seeds, sand cream. Progress is very early and fruitful. It has yellow seeds with a brown mark, bigger than a pea, and the plants are taller than beans and not bedridden. From ten m2 you can get approx 2,5 kg of seeds.