The soybean is one of the most recognized leguminous plants. Like other crops, it can be challenging to grow on a large scale without depending on chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides. However, consumers no longer want pesticide and chemical products and need more organic products. Organic agriculture can boost the soy planting and growing processes; however, you must adopt only the most reliable techniques for large-scale farming.
Organic farmers need to grow crops without relying on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, farmers need to rely on organic crop-growing practices and alternatives that are safer for the consumers and allow the crops to boost yields without any inorganic and synthetic processes. Here are some organic soy growing practices.
- Soil Cultivation Practices
- Cultivating the soil
Before cultivating the soil, you need to test to understand the mineral balance, soil quality, and contents. Instead of relying on chemicals to clear the land, you can cultivate the farms manually using systems such as tractors or in pond raceway system, but you need to observe how deeper you dig. You need to set the diggers to only plow the topsoil instead of digging deeper into the soil. This can promote leaching and burying top and fertile soil deeper.
The soil must also meet specific standards to ensure you do not have any factors that can affect the growth. The soil needs to be smooth; hence when tilling the soil, you need to eliminate large and medium size rocks. Seeds grow in a short depth; hence you need to clear the soils to allow them to grow effectively.
- Crop rotation
The other way to improve soil fertility is through crop rotation. Different plants have varying mineral quantities; one crop may have more nitrogen than the other hence you need to do crop rotation to increase the mineral concentration in these soils. Instead of growing the crops with others, you need to ensure you observe the seasons for growing the crops. Do not let the land lie fallow and unused. After harvesting soy, you can plant other crops to increase the soil concentration.
- Organic Weed Management
After planting the crops, you should manage the weeds effectively and organically. You must ensure that you increase the reliance on organic pest control methods such as birds to deal with pests.
The organic methods to control weeds and pests depend on the land size. If you have more extensive land, you should rely on manufacturers to provide organic pest and weed control items. Use other strategies such as distance between the crops to ensure you do not give enough room and space to allow the weeds to grow between the crops.
If you are growing the soybean on a small scale, you can utilize the mulch to ensure the crops remain hydrated and the weeds do not get the needed sun and light for growth. Once the seeds are four centimeters above the ground, you can introduce mulches. The mulches can also increase the amount of soil fertilizer quantity. The mulch can also be ideal for preventing soil erosion that can affect the topsoil and eliminate certain nutrients.
- Organic Propagation
The propagation process determines how the seeds will respond to other needs. You need to ensure the soybean seeds can withstand environmental changes effectively. Most people propagate seeds from soybean plants hence constantly reducing yield and vulnerability to conditions such as pests that can affect the seed quality. Before you prepare the seed bed, you need to get the seed injected with organic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The bacteria will provide the needed nitrogen if you suspect the soil is nitrogen deficient.
- The Irrigation Systems
You need to limit the overdependence on rainfall patterns due to their unreliability. You can use modern irrigation systems such as piping irrigations in a drip manner to utilize less water and limit the irrigation process. You also need to irrigate when the temperatures are not too high, especially at night and evenings.
Conclusion
You should rely on cheaper organic systems and minimal chemicals when growing soy. You can adopt different organic practices, from soil preparation and soy propagation to harvesting. Use organic fertilization, crop rotation, soil mulching, and reliance on organic irrigation systems.
