Inter-row cultivation: An agro-technical measure for increasing soybean yield

Abstract

In order to examine the influence of inter-row cultivation on the soybean yield, a trial was set up in the Agricultural School in Backa Topola from 2015 to 2017. Three soybean varieties were selected at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. Galina, Sava and Rubin were used. The trials included the different number of inter-row cultivations: control -without inter-row cultivation, one inter-row cultivation, two and three inter-row cultivations of soybean crops. Obtained results showed that an average yield of soybean increased with an increase in the number of inter-row cultivations during the soybean vegetation period. With one inter-row cultivation, the yield increase was 5.33%, with two inter-row cultivations -7.10% and with three cultivations -7.33%. In the years with a lower precipitation, the influence of intra-row cultivation was much more effective. In 2017, the increase ranged from 10.33% to 13.62%, and in 2016 from 3.09% to 4.27%. Yield was increased due to reduced evapotranspiration of soil moisture as well as prevention of descending of water into deeper layers. During summer, this allowed better water conservation in the soil for critical periods, and also increased the activity of microorganisms as well as more intensive mineralization of organic matter, which ultimately influenced the yield.

Keywords

• soybean
• yield
• inter-row cultivation
• variety