Studies on the cultivation suitability of soybeans in Germany

Abstract

Global warming and new, early ripening varieties with good yield make the cultivation of soybean increasingly attractive also in Germany. In 2015 a cropping area of 17,500 ha was reached. Under suitable growing conditions, soybean can provide higher protein yields in higher concentration and better quality than the domestic legumes bean, pea and lupine. The broad practice, however, still lacks experience in particular with respect to the suitability of the various local conditions in Germany for soybean cultivation.

For this reason, the Deutsche Sojaförderring has dealt for several years with the issue to find or define appro­priate criteria to characterize the regional geographic and climatic conditions in Germany with regard to the suitability for the cultivation of soybean. Research has been done in co-operation with the Julius Kühn-Institut.

Basically, the aim was to classify influential factors like temperature, precipitation, global radiation and soil quality and to weigh them accordingly to allow an objective assessment of the general local conditions for soybean cultivation and to visualize and document them in a detailed map.

The results presented are a consensus of the involved scientists. They have been an appropriate orientation aid since the middle of 2016.