Agro-ecological aspects of soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivation in Ukraine

Abstract

The article highlights the role and significance of soybeans in Ukraine as the main legume crop of today. The analysis of literature sources proves that soybean cultivation not only ensures food security of the state, but also acts as an environmental component while maintaining soil fertility. Soybean plants contribute to the nitrogen balance of soils, serving as a good precursor for many crops. They also have a positive impact on the physical, agronomic and physicochemical properties of soils, improving water and nutrient regimes. Soybeans can be grown in main crops, post-harvest crops and post-mowing crops. In addition, soybeans quickly adapt to organic production schemes. The authors characterise the soybean belt in Ukraine and describe the main three soybean growing zones. It is established that the most favourable for soybean cultivation are Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi and Kyiv regions. Here, soybeans consistently provide stable high productivity of this crop. The analysis of literature publications has confirmed that the problem of sufficient production of adequate vegetable protein can be solved by continuously increasing the production of food resources, primarily protein and oilseeds, the main source of which is soybeans, one of the world's leading crops. Soybean cultivation in Ukraine has undergone global changes over the past 30 years. It has rapidly moved from being a niche crop to a key agricultural commodity. Thanks to soybeans, Ukraine has rapidly increased its production of protein and oilseeds and significantly strengthened its position on the global market. Over the past few years, the area under soybean cultivation in Ukraine has been ranging from 1.5–2.0 million hectares, with the main growing areas being the Forest-Steppe and Polissya. Significantly smaller areas are located in the northern and central Steppe. In the southern Steppe, soybean cultivation is possible only under irrigated conditions. Soybeans are very versatile in their use, and stand out among other crops due to the large number of products made from their raw materials. Soybean seeds are used to make various analogues of meat and dairy products, egg powder substitutes, confectionery, cheeses, canned food, sauces, etc. Scientists have noted that the most favourable meteorological conditions for soybeans are characterised by an annual rainfall of 500–600 mm, of which 250–400 mm should be received during the growing season, and 180–200 mm during the most critical period of flowering — full bean filling. Organic farming is one of the most promising areas of soybean cultivation. Currently, around 80% of soybean seeds are produced using genetically modified material. Therefore, it is important to use the latest zoned varieties of local breeding to green soybean production, as this will help to build up our own organic seed base and improve the environmental component of soybean cultivation. Thus, soybeans and their products are extremely important for Ukraine's economy as they consistently provide a significant portion of foreign exchange earnings. However, further increase in soybean production requires a reduction in the use of chemical protection products, namely, their maximum possible approximation to natural growing conditions, i.e., organic cultivation.