Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)

Recently the Joint Research centre of the European Commission evaluated the suitability of soils for soybean cultivation. The assessment takes into account various climatic indexes and physical factors, including soil depth and texture, as well as water availability. Given the scale of the research, other potential limiting factors were not taken into account. Soil water reserve is a key factor for good soybean yield, however other chemical and physical characters can modify the suitability of a land for soybean cultivation. Excessively acidic or saline soils, and those having a high active lime content are not suitable. Those with insufficient drainage are only marginally suitable because the movement of machinery is made difficult by excee of soil water. Most suitable soils are therefore those having a medium to high water content, a good structure that favours aeration and drainage, and ability to withstand the movements of agrcultural machinery. On the grounds of these observations, a range of soil characters, relative to the top 100 cm, has been defined to assess the aptitude of lands to soybean cultivation.