Prevent nutrient deficiency and drought damage

Growing soya is becoming a topic of increasing interest for farmers – after all, in terms of surface area, soya beans are recording the highest growth rate in the German-speaking area. Accordingly, soya cultivation has also risen enormously in Austria in recent years. Around 93,000 hectares of fields are already being used to grow this incredibly versatile legume. By comparison: in 2008, this figure was around 18,000 hectares – meaning the cropland has increased fivefold. A good 35% of soya fields in Austria are used in accordance with organic farming criteria. 

There are many factors that speak in favour of growing soya and other legumes:

• binding of atmospheric nitrogen
• no need for mineral N fertilisation, leading to a reduction in greenhouse gases and costs
• loosening of grain-based crop rotations and thus lower incidence of disease
• improvement of the soil structure
• prevention of resistances in ancient grasses
• ploughless soil tillage possible
• lower dependence on imported protein feeds
• added value in own operations when feeding to livestock

How can SOLU K 52 positively affect the growth and crop yield of soya and other grain legumes?

In general, soya and other grain legumes require little water. The water consumption of soya is at its highest in the first three weeks of flowering. In this period, the start of the pod and the number of grains per pod are determined, and the secondary growth of the legume begins – the plant reacts particularly sensitively to a lack of water. To prevent any drought damage, we recommend regular leaf fertilisation with SOLU K 52 as early as May, but at the latest in June. 

A good supply of potassium guarantees efficient water utilisation and is thus the foundation of reliable yields.

Soya requires relatively large amounts of potassium, preferably in the form of potassium sulphate. Absorption is highest during the rapid vegetative growth and slows down once seed formation begins. This absorption lasts two to three weeks before the seeds are mature.

The absorption of potassium decreases when the oxygen content of the soil is low, which is why poor ventilation would require more available potassium. Cold soils reduce the speed and the extent of the root growth. This, in turn, may limit the nutrient uptake.

A lack of sulphur is most likely to occur in cold, wet weather and heavily depleted soils with little organic substance. Again, in this case, SOLU K 52 can help: 

SOLU K 52 contains 45% sulphate and is able to quickly and effectively remedy a lack of sulphate via targeted leaf fertilisation. 

Incidentally, the pH of the soil is also a major factor in the crop yield: ideally, the pH value should be between 6.2 and 7.0.