The rainfall use efficiency and soybean grain yield under rainfed conditions in Vojvodina

Violeta Mandic,Vesna Dragicevic,Zorica Bijelic,Aleksandar Simic,Veselin Petricevic,Vesna Krnjaja,Dragana Ruzic-Muslic

doi:10.2298/bah1704475m

Violeta Mandic, Vesna Dragicevic + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2298/bah1704475m

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Abstract

Rainfall is one of the most important environmental factors influencing crop production under dry land farming conditions. In the Republic of Serbia, the soybean is produced under rainfed conditions, and therefore online monitoring of the rainfall use efficiency (RUE) is essential for efficient management of production. The research aim was to estimate the effects of amount rainfall during the growing season (RGS) and average monthly rainfall on soybean grain yield (GY) in the Vojvodina during the sixteen year period (2000-2015). Distributions of RGS were not satisfactory and negatively influenced the expression genetic yield potential of cultivars. Rainfall deficits during the growing season limited the soybean plant reproductive growth stages leading to GY loss. The coefficient of variation indicated that RGS and monthly rainfall changed moderately from year to year. Regression equations showed that GY tended to increase with the amount of rainfall. GY had strong positive relationship with RGS and rainfall in May, July and August. Since the amount and distribution of rainfall during growing season are critical determinants of GY, soybean cultivars of shorter vegetation periods should be developed and cultivated so that maximum utilization of rainfall is ensured.

Highlights

Soybean is very important legume crop used for livestock and human nutrition and industrial processing
The research aim was to estimate the effects of amount rainfall during the growing season (RGS) and average monthly rainfall on soybean grain yield (GY) in the Vojvodina during the sixteen year period (2000-2015)
In Serbia, grain yield of soybean is dependent on RGS because production is exclusively organized under dry land farming conditions

Summary

Introduction

Soybean is very important legume crop used for livestock and human nutrition and industrial processing. In Serbia, soybean is a source of protein for livestock, poultry and fish (Popović et al, 2015), commonly contained in cereals mixtures for farm ruminant and non/ruminants nutrition (Ranđelović, 2009). It takes one kilogram of soybean flour to produce 2.3 kg of meat and 12 l of milk (Todorović and Kondić, 1993). In Serbia, grain yield of soybean is dependent on RGS (amount and distribution of rainfall during the growing season) because production is exclusively organized under dry land farming conditions. Randjelović et al (2010) and Mandić et al (2015b) reported that GY especially depends on the amount of rainfall in August when soybean plants are in the grain filling stage. Nenadić et al (1995) state that soybean can achieve a satisfactory GY if the level of precipitation during June, July and August is about 300-350 mm

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