Maize and Soyabean

Context

• Soil moisture deficiency has raised the prospect of re-sowing of some rain-dependent kharif crops, including maize and soyabean.

Maize

• Globally, maize is known as queen of cereals because it has highest genetic yield potential among the cereals.

• Soil Type: Fertile well-drained alluvial or simply red loams free of coarse elements and full off nitrogen are ideal soils for maize cultivation. Maize can be grown on wide range of soils including loamy sand to clay loam.
• Top Maize Producing States: Karnataka > Maharashtra > Madhya Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Telangana
• India is the seventh largest producer worldwide.
• The S. is by far the world's largest producer and exporter of corn.

Soybean

• Soybean grows well in warm and moist climate.
• A temperature of 26 to 30°C appears to be the optimum for most of the varieties.
• Soil temperatures of 15.5°C or above favor rapid germination and vigorous seedling growth.
• A lower temperature tends to delay the flowering.
• In 2020, Brazil overtook the United States as the leading soybean producing country.
• Production of soybean in India is dominated by Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh which contribute 89 per cent of the total production.

MACS 1407

• Indian scientists recently developed a new Soy Bean variety called the “MACS 1407”.
• It is a high yielding variety that gives 39 quintals per hectare.
• The new variety takes only 104 days to mature and 43 days for 50% flowering.
• The seeds have 41% protein and 19.81% oil content.
• The stem of the new Soybean variety is thick. This provides higher pod insertion, which is, till seven centimetres.
• It has good resistance for pod shaking. This makes it highly suitable for mechanical harvesting.
• Their germinability is high.
• The variety is best suited for the rain fed regions of North East India.
• It is resistant to pests such as leaf miner, leaf roller, girdle beetle, stem fly, white fly, aphids and defoliators.
• It is resistant to vagaries of monsoon.

Read: Major Cropping Seasons in India: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/cropping-seasons-in-india#:~:text=India%20has%20three%20cropping%20seasons%20%E2%80%94%20Rabi%2C%20Kharif%20and%20Zaid.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/soil-moisture-deficiency-may-force-re-sowing-of-maize-soyabean-in-some-states/articleshow/84389862.cms