By Iyorkaa Nater

Land preparation

• Clear all vegetation before seedbed
• Prepare seedbed manually with a hoe or animal-drawn implement or tractor to ensures good germination and reduces weed infestation

Choice of variety

• Choose a variety suited to your agro-ecological zone
• Selection should be done based on the time to maturity
• Selection should be done yield potential
• Selection should be done susceptibility to stem lodging
• Selection should be done resistance to pests and diseases

Varieties characteristics

• TGX 1448-2E Southern and Northern Guinea savanna, Late maturing, high yield (1.5 t/ha)
• TGX 1951-3F Southern and Northern Guinea savanna, Medium maturing, high yield, high yielding (2.5 t/ha)
• TGX 1904-6F Southern and Northern Guinea savanna, Medium maturing, high yield (1.5 – 2 t/ha)
• TGX 1835-10E Sudan savanna, Early maturing, average yield, high yielding (1.5–2 t/ha)

Seed Sourcing

• Do not purchase seeds from the open market
• Always buy seeds from verified seed companies or the seed producers nearest to you

Date of planting

• Do not plant too early (before the establishment of rain) because a prolonged dry spell after planting may result in permanent wilting of the crop
• Late planting, on the other hand, may expose the crop to attack by some late-season pests and deprive the crop of sufficient moisture if the rains stop early

Recommended dates for planting soybean in Nigeria

• Moist savanna/Southern Guinea savanna Early June–early July
• Northern Guinea–Sudan savanna Mid-June–early July
• Sudan savanna Weeks 1–2 in July

Seed rate

• About 50–70 kg (20–28 standard mudus) are required to obtain a population of 444,444 plants/ha

Seed dressing

• Treat seeds with fungicides, such as Apron Plus, or Thiram, before planting, at the rate of 1 sachet/8 kg of seeds for protection against soil-borne fungal diseases

Plant spacing and sowing

• Sow soybean by hand, planter, or by drilling
• Plant 3 to 4 seeds/hole at a spacing of 75 cm between rows and 10 cm between stands
• Alternatively, drill seeds at 50–75 cm between rows and 5 cm within rows
• For the early maturing varieties, a spacing of 50 cm between rows and 5–10 cm within rows
• Do not sow seeds more than 2–5 cm deep

Fertilizer

• A good fertilizer recommendation for soybean production depends on a good soil test
• Under normal conditions, soybean should provide itself with nitrogen through biological nitrogen fixation
• Until nodulation occurs, the soybean plant depends on soil nitrogen for growth
• Apply a mixture of 2 – 3 bags of NPK 15:15:15 in addition to 2 bags of SSP fertilizers
• Apply fertilizer on or not later than 7 days after planting

Soybean Inoculation using NoduMax for higher yield

• To enhance the ability of soybean to form nodules and fix nitrogen, soybean seeds need to be inoculated with Rhizobia

How to inoculate soybean with NoduMax

• Measure 10 kg of soybean
• Place the amount in any container that will accommodate the seeds
• Prepare the sticker. Dissolve the content of the enclosed packet of gum Arabic into 200 ml of warm water
• Apply the sticker to 10 kg of soybean seeds and mix them until uniformly coated
• Add 100g of inoculants (1 sachet of NoduMax) to the seeds and mix until seeds are uniformly covered
• Cover the inoculated seeds with a cloth and put it under the shade for the sticker to set
• Plant the seeds on the same day that you inoculate them
• Plant the inoculated seeds in a well-prepared moist soil and cover immediately

Weeds control

• A properly timed weed control program can minimize their effects
• Weed control in soybean could be achieved manually or with the use of chemicals or by a combination of both methods

Manual weed control

• Carry out the first weeding at 2 weeks after planting and the second at 5–6 weeks after planting

Chemical weed control

• The choice, however, depends on the predominant weed species and the availability of the herbicide
• Herbicides are available for pre-emergence or post-emergence weed control
• If the herbicide is applied at planting, one weeding may be required at 5–6 weeks after planting
• For pre-emergence weed control (Mix Glyphosate with Pendimethalin or Dual Gold) in a ratio of 150mils for Glyphosate, 200 – 250 mils for Pendimethalin and 150 – 200 mils for Dual Gold all in 20 litre knapsack and spray within 24 hours after sowing
• For post emergence weed control (use Raptor or IRIS at 1.5 – 2 litres per hectare when the plants are 19 – 21 days after planting

Insect’s pest control

• Insect pests can be controlled with a single spray of Cypermethrin + Dimethoate at flowering stage

Harvesting

• At maturity, the pod is straw- coloured
• Harvesting of soybean is recommended when about 85% of the pods have turned brown for a non-shattering variety but 80% for shattering varieties
• The crop can be harvested when the seeds are at the hard-dough stage
• The seed moisture content is between 14 and 16%
• Harvesting can be done with a cutlass, a hoe, sickles or mechanized operation
• Cut the mature plants at ground level
• Stack them loosely on tarpaulin and allow them to dry in the open for 2 weeks before threshing
• Do not harvest by hand-pulling because this may deprive the soil of nutrients added by the crop

Threshing soybean

• Thresh manually or mechanically when the plants are properly dried and as soon as possible

Storage

• Dry to 12% moisture for storage of 6–12 months and to 10–11% for longer storage
• Place bags of clean soybean on a rack in the cold room or in ambient store