What is the principle of soybean and corn strip compound planting? How should farmers sow seeds? How to harvest?

Soybeans, as an important oil crop, have a relatively low self-sufficiency rate in my country.

Increasing the soybean planting area has become an important measure to ensure food security in recent years.

However, according to the growth patterns of corn and soybeans, soybeans cannot be grown on plots planted with corn, and corn cannot be grown on plots planted with soybeans. There is a "competition for land" problem.

In terms of the income from growing corn and soybeans, the income from growing corn is higher than the income from soybeans. Therefore, most farmers will choose to grow corn instead of soybeans.

In response to this problem, the soybean and corn strip compound planting model came out (also mentioned in the No. 1 document of 2023). It not only solves the problem of corn and soybean competing for land, but also can achieve scientific management under scientific management. The yield of corn is not reduced (or reduced), and at the same time, one more season of soybeans is harvested, which improves the planting income of farmers.

According to what the little helper knows, pilot projects have been carried out for many years in Hebei, Shandong, Inner Mongolia and other places. Some media reported that using soybean and corn strip compound planting, the corn yield will not be reduced, and the soybean yield per mu can reach 100-150 Kilogram.

Among them, in 2020, there is a cooperative strip compound planting model, with a yield of 1,320 kilograms of corn and 186 kilograms of soybeans, and an average income per mu of more than 300 yuan.

In 2021, the corn output will be 1,180 kilograms and the soybean crop will be 228 kilograms, which is about 400 yuan more than ordinary net-cropped corn.

In this article, the little helper will tell you about the soybean and corn strip compound planting. How to plant it? How to manage? How to collect it?

When the soybean, corn and bean strip compound planting was first piloted, it faced difficulties in sowing, plant protection, and harvesting. With continuous development, the difficulty of the seeder has been gradually overcome, and the difficulty of plant protection and harvesting , still exists, but in some areas, the mechanized technology of plant protection and harvesting has basically passed the test.

How to sow soybeans and corn in strip compound planting?

According to different varieties, soil conditions, weather factors, etc., there are many modes of soybean and corn strip compound planting. For example, the common ones are 4:2 mode, 3:2 mode, 4:3 mode, 4: 4 modes and more.

For example, in the 4:3 mode, planting 4 rows of soybean belts and planting 3 rows of corn belts are compound, and the distance between the soybean belts and corn belts is about 65cm.

Among them, the row spacing of soybeans is about 40cm, and the plant spacing is about 10cm (about 7,500 grains are sown per mu), the row spacing of corn is about 50cm, and the plant spacing is about 12cm (about 4,400 grains are sown per mu).

If it is a small area of ??experimental planting, or if this planting mode is rarely used locally and there is no mechanization, manual seeding is required. The disadvantages are obvious and time-consuming and labor-intensive.

However, there is no professional seeding machinery locally, so we can only do this.

When this planting model is adopted on a large area, mechanized sowing has become mature, and there are two methods.

First, corn and soybeans are sown separately. After adjusting row spacing and plant spacing, soybeans (or corn) are sown first, then row spacing and spacing are adjusted, and corn (or soybeans) are sown.

Second, the integrated precision sowing of soybeans and corns can be carried out with the soybeans centered on both sides of the corns or with the corns on both sides of the soybeans. It requires high seeding machinery and is now popular in some areas.

Image source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

How to manage soybean and corn strip compound planting?

1. Fertilization issues

Soybean root nodules have a nitrogen-fixing effect. Corn base fertilizers are mainly high-nitrogen compound fertilizers (or slow-release fertilizers), and soybeans use low-nitrogen compound fertilizers (or slow-release fertilizers). fat) mainly.

When topdressing, the amount of topdressing is generally less than when planting corn alone. In soybean belts, the use of urea should be reduced or even eliminated. It is not recommended to spread urea throughout the field.

2. Weeding issues

Because soybeans and corn have different resistances to herbicides, weeding cannot be carried out uniformly. Weeding needs to be carried out separately to avoid herbicide damage.

After corn and soybeans are sown, blocking herbicides (metolachlor, acetochlor, etc.) can be sprayed throughout the field.

When it comes to post-emergence stem and leaf herbicides, the corn herbicides are mainly nicosulfuron, mesotrione, and atrazine, and the soybean herbicides are quizalofop, bentazone, and high-efficiency The main ones are flufenofop, carboxyfluorfen, etc., and they may cause phytotoxicity if sprayed with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to spray herbicides separately. You need to wear a spray mask, lower the nozzle, and be careful of drifting.

In some areas, pesticide spraying machines suitable for compound planting of soybeans and corn have appeared. They have double water tanks and double spray systems, which can spray herbicides on corn and soybeans at the same time (other pesticides can also be sprayed at the same time) Shi).

3. Problem of controlling overgrowth

The vigorous growth of soybeans or corn will increase the risk of lodging. In addition, the vigorous growth of corn will block the sun, hinder the photosynthesis of soybeans, and affect the growth of soybeans. grow.

However, the best period for controlling the growth of soybeans is the early flowering stage, and the best period for controlling the growth of corn is the trumpet stage (the two may not appear at the same time). Therefore, they need to be sprayed and controlled separately. The vigorous agent cannot be sprayed all over the field at the same time. The available agents include metropamine, chlormequat, ethephon, etc.

4. Pest and disease control

Develop different prevention and control measures according to the specific diseases and pests that appear in the field.

In terms of pests, if the pests of corn and soybeans belong to the same family and can be sprayed together with one insecticide, if the pests are different, they need to be sprayed separately, such as Soybean heartworm, corn borer, and corn armyworm can be sprayed together, and can be controlled with chemicals such as chlorantraniliprole, cyhalothrin, and emamectin.

The same is true for diseases. If they can be controlled together, they can be sprayed in the whole field. However, if they cannot be controlled together, they need to be sprayed separately.

For example, soybean gray leaf spot and corn large leaf spot can be controlled together, using the pharmaceuticals thiophanate-methyl, trichosporon·tebuconazole, etc.

How to harvest from soybean and corn strip compound planting?

The harvesting method is determined based on the maturity time of soybeans and corn.

First, if the soybeans mature first, harvest the soybeans first and then the corn.

Second, if the corn matures first, harvest the corn first and then the soybeans.

Thirdly, if both mature at the same time, they can be harvested at the same time.

When soybeans are harvested first, a narrow-width crawler soybean harvester can be used, and then a conventional harvester can be used to harvest corn; when corn is harvested first, a high-gap cross-belt corn harvester can be used to harvest, and subsequent soybeans can be harvested. After maturity, soybeans can also be harvested directly, or other soybean harvesters can be used.

Soybeans and corn are harvested at the same time, that is, soybean harvesters and corn harvesters are used to harvest simultaneously, one after the other. The requirements for operators are relatively strict.

The above is the relevant content about the compound planting of soybeans and corns. The new planting model is a process of gradual exploration, testing, and promotion (including agricultural mechanization). Although the road is long and long, after it is popularized in large areas, Both food security and farmers’ income will reach a higher level.

Ask everyone, what do you think of soybean and corn strip compound planting?