The areas under cultivation for organic soy have exceeded 1,000 hectares in the past years. However, this legume could play a much more significant role in crop rotation. Unfortunately, soy is one of the riskiest crop under organic farming system due to the severe effect of water deficit and inappropriate weed management on yield stability Therefore, we considered it important to have recommendations on varieties and cultivation technologies ready for farmers, based on which they can incorporate soy into their crop rotation systems with less risk.
Sustainability and GMO-free
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Cultivation technology adapted to organic farming help farmers to produce soy in a more economical and sustainable way.
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During our variety tests, we work to identify genotypes that can be best cultivated on Hungarian organic farms, so that we can replace soy imported from other continents.
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Due to its high protein content, soy is considered an important food, and also plays a significant role in animal feed. Organic soy has excellent quality, it is free from GMO and pesticides.
Our tests
Results:
- We have been cultivating almost 20 organic soy varieties since 2013, and we are continuously adding new varieties to our experiment. This opens new opportunities to select varieties that are best suited to existing agrotechnological and agroecological conditions.
- The results from 2015 highlighted that how these varieties respond to water supply is remarkably good compared to the variety assortment from previous decades, and that introducing these varieties to irrigated agricultural systems would increase the current average yield of two tonnes per hectare in Hungary.
- We succeeded in applying seed and soil inoculation in order to increase root nodule formation and yield. For seed treatment, we use combined products containing synergistic bacterial species in addition to Rhizobium japonicum strains, which can be complemented with soil treatment as well, making root nodule formation more secure.
- We also investigate the incorporation of soy in no-till farming systems. Our experience tells us that soy is sensitive to the evenness of the sowing-bed. Deep loosening has positive effects on water equilibrium and also helps prevent Cirsium growth.
- By winning the DiverIMPACTS project, we started performing soy variety testing in the frame of international research in 2017, in cooperation with the experimental site of the Szent István University at Soroksár.
- Our publication with the title Organic Soy Production in Europe not only includes the cultivation technology for soy and the results of variety tests, but also the most important information on trading practices.
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