Seed yield and chemical properties of two exotic cultivars of soybean introduced in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan
Abstract
In Uzbekistan, interest in growing soybeans has increased in the recent years. Since the seed production industry<br> here is rather small with heavy dependence on imports, there is a constant need to introduce potentially productive<br> exotic introductions and to test them for identification of optimal combinations of agro-techniques enabling high<br> yield and seed processing quality. The objective of this exploratory and initial in a continued series of trials was to<br> investigate early trends in cultivar adaptation for economically important traits expressed in a large potential<br> cultivation area located in the southernmost region of Uzbekistan, marked with relatively dry and hot climate.<br> Effects of early and mid-season sowing regimes on the seed protein and oil content and grain yield of two new<br> Russian varieties were determined, which were tested along with three well adapted local cultivars..<br> With late sowing dates, the protein content tended to be somewhat higher, while with early sowing regime, the<br> oil yield tended to be on the higher side. Results of the field trial comprising five planting windows between March<br> 20th and Aril 30th at 10-day intervals showed that all five varieties performed best for yield and seed processing<br> quality when sown on or around April 10th. The two exotic selections did not have any major agronomic advantage<br> over the local selections. The cultivars Chara and Slavia known to be high yield performers elsewhere within<br> Uzbekistan, however, showed higher protein content under early sown conditions. Further research is being<br> continued to determine over years the most optimum combinations of agro climatic and agronomic practices to<br> realize greater yield and exploit economically important traits of cultivars.<br>