Many of my soybean pods are flat with no grain or small shrivelled seed at harvest. What causes poor pod filling?
Why did my soybean pods stay empty or have shrivelled seed (soybean)?
PPravin Thakre6mo ago · 260 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Empty or poorly filled soybean pods usually trace back to moisture stress during the critical pod filling stage, a long dry spell or heat at flowering, or sucking and pod feeding pests draining the pods. Nutrient deficiency, especially sulphur and other elements, and disease can also cause poor filling. To reduce it, sow a variety suited to your rainfall, ensure protective irrigation if available during flowering and pod fill, and keep pod borers and sucking pests in check. Balanced nutrition including sulphur supports better grain filling in this oilseed. A break in rains right at pod filling is the most common cause in rainfed tracts. Confirm the right variety and nutrient plan for your soil with your local KVK or Soil Health Card.
GGajanan Raut6mo ago
In my rainfed field the empty pods were almost always from a dry spell right at pod filling. The year the rains held on through that stage the pods filled well. If you have even one protective irrigation, save it for the flowering and pod fill stage, that is the make or break time.
PPrashant Wankhede5mo ago
Sulphur made a visible difference for me. After a soil test showed it was low, adding a sulphur source gave better filled seed and the oil content seemed better too. Soybean is an oilseed and it really demands sulphur. Get your soil checked with the Soil Health Card before deciding the dose.
SSandeep Bhoyar5mo ago
Do not overlook the sucking and pod feeding pests at the filling stage. One year my pods looked set but stayed shrivelled because bugs were draining them quietly. Scouting at pod fill and keeping those pests in check, along with the right variety for our rainfall, fixed it the next season.