SOYABEANS

Soyabeans

Soyabeans are one of the important food legume crops grown in Zambia by both commercial and small scale farmers. Soyabeans have the highest concentration and the most balanced quality of protein amongst food legumes crops. The soyabean oil is also an important source of cooking oil and the cake, left after extraction, is a valuable animal feed. Soyabeans are an excellent rotational crop with cereals.

Varieties

New release

Semeki
Attribute Details
Type OPV Soybean
Days to Maturity 100–115
Agro-Ecological Zones Zones I, IIa, IIb
Seed Traits Cream white with white eye; large grain
Yield Potential 2–3 tons/ha
Spacing & Seed Rate 60cm x 4cm; 80–100kg/ha
Plant Population ~250,000 plants/ha
Stress Tolerance Moderate drought resilience
Disease Resistance Basic tolerance to pod blight and rust
Use Protein-rich food, cooking oil, animal feed

Established variety

Characteristics
Type: Open-pollinated variety, medium maturing.
Tolerance: Shattering, most major diseases.
Days to maturity: 115-120 days
Grain colour: White
Seed rate: 100kg/ha
Spacing: 60 x 4cm
Target regions: I, II
Yield potential: 2,000-3,000kg/ha