HYDERABAD: Soybean, which is fondly referred to as the ‘yellow gold,’ is one wonder crop which has seen an extension in its area of cultivation from 30,000 hectares in the 1970s, to a remarkable 12.95 million hectares in the country presently. It is the fourth largest crop grown in India and second largest in terms of yield in the country.
However, while its productivity has increased by 50 per cent in countries like US and Argentina where it is largely grown, in India its yield has remained constant, much below those countries. Scientists are suggesting investment in research and development to find ways to increase its productivity, and to appreciate germ plasm superiority, even it means going for genetically modified or gene-edited varieties.
A book titled Economics and Technology of Soybean Cultivation in Central India written by E Revathy and B Suresh Reddy of Centre for Social and Economic Studies (CESS) was released on Saturday, followed by a panel discussion on the subject.
In his initial remarks, Ramesh Chand, member of Niti Aayog, termed soybean as the only green revolution success in rainfed agriculture, and that its advancement in growth rate has been more than paddy and wheat.
He said that the first time (with the native black seed variety being an exception) soybean was introduced in India from Mississippi and saw a large-scale expansion because of the initial superiority of its germ plasm. It was being grown in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and in some parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, displacing crops like millets and cotton.
Though 40.9 million tonne soybean was harvested in 2013, he said its yield started declining since then. While the world average yield was 1,900 kg/hectare and the US average has been 2,850 kg/hectare, India’s average was 1,000 kg/hectare in 1990. While the world average and US average yield has increased by 50 per cent by 2020, India’s average yield has not increased.
R Jagadeeshwar, Director of Research, PJTSAU, opined that climate change, untimely supply of quality seeds, and other factors resulted in soybean cultivation going from 2.43 lakh acres in 2014, to 1.4 lakh acres in Telangana presently.
SCIENTIFIC EXTENSION ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT: AUTHOR
E Revathi, one of the two authors of the book, said ryots need to follow the package of practices for soybean cultivation, and scientific extension activities were very important. She felt that coordination between various institutions on technology development was crucial to bring back the glory of soybean.