Effect of Sowing Dates on Agronomic Traits and Quality of Seed for Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in Southern Area of Korea

Effect of Sowing Dates on Agronomic Traits and Quality of Seed for Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in Southern Area of Korea

Owing to adverse weather conditions, there is a heightened focus on actively researching the regulation of the sowing date in field crop cultivation. Soybean, a prominent field crop with extensive acreage and production, is a photophilic and thermophilic crop characterized by short-day photoperiodism. Identifying the optimal sowing time is crucial for mitigating the effects of severe weather conditions on soybean yield. Precise control over the timing of soybean sowing is the key to minimizing yield reduction due to unfavorable weather conditions. Temperature, photoperiod, and their interplay are the most significant factors influencing soybean cultivation among various weather factors. We conducted an experiment using three Korean soybean cultivars with varied maturities (Hwangkeumol: early maturing and Daewonkong and Pungsannamulkong: late maturing) in 2013 and 2014. Our investigation covered aspects of soybean growth, development, yield components, isoflavones, and visual seed quality. Across all three varieties, isoflavone levels increased with later sowing dates, while other measured components exhibited significant variations based on the sowing date. This study also provides valuable insights for the selection of suitable cultivars that perform well in soybean cultivation at various durations of maturity