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Glycine max is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m .
It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by Insects.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light and medium soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Cultivation

A fairly easily-grown plant, it grows best in a sunny position on fertile, well-drained soils, but does tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. Soybeans will brow better than many crops on soils that are low in fertility, droughty or poorly drained. Prefers a well-drained sandy soil. Prefers a slightly acid soil. Soya does not grow well in a wet climate, nor will it withstand excessive heat or severe cold winters. The plant has been reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 31 to 410cm , an annual mean temperature range of 5.9 to 27°C and a pH in the range of 4.3 to 8.4 . Soya is one of the most widely cultivated plants in the world, being grown for its oil and protein rich edible seed, there are many named varieties. A subtropical plant, but its cultivation extends from the tropics to as far north as latitude 52°N. The species, and most of its cultivars, is a short-day plant and does not flower or set seed unless the daylight hours are less than 13 hours per day. There are three basic types of soya bean, those with green seeds are considered to be the most tender and best flavoured and are the type best suited for northern climates. Black seeded forms are normally used dried and yellow seeded forms are used for making soya milk, flour etc. The plant requires a hot summer with a mean July temperature between 16 and 18°c and a dry autumn if it is to do well in Britain, though it is as hardy as the runner bean, Phaseolus coccineus. The best crops outdoors in Britain are obtained if the plants are started off in a greenhouse and planted out in late spring although a direct sowing outdoors in early May can succeed in good summers but yields will then normally be low. Many cultivars will not flower in the shorter days of late summer in the northern hemisphere and so are not suitable for growing in Britain. Some botanists separate the cultivated forms of soya from this species and call them G. soja. Sieb.&Zucc. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. Soybean soils must contain the proper nitrogen-fixing bacteria. When grown on the same land for 2 - 3 successive years, increasing yields are obtained year after year. Seed can be purchased that has been treated with this rhizobium, it is unnecessary on soils with a pH below 5.5 but can be helpful on other soils. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen. Research at the University of Illinois has crossed Glycine max with Glycine tomentella which could lead to the production of a perennial edible soybean .

HabitatsLowland thickets
HabitatsC. and S. Japan.
HabitatsCultivated Beds
HabitatsCultivated Beds

Resources


Major pests

Minor pests

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