Assessment of soybean yield and quality in the Orel region

Soybean remains a relatively new crop for the Orel region. One of the main problems hindering its widespread cultivation is the selection of varieties that can demonstrate high productivity in the specific conditions of the region. The purpose of our research is to evaluate the yield and quality of soy varieties in the Orel region.Field experiments were conducted in 2024 at Mu-Mu LLC in the Uritsky District of the Orel Region. The research was focused on five modern soybean varieties: Mezenka, Zusha, Svapa, Lantsetnaya and Belgorodskaya 7. The soybean seeds were sown in wide rows with a spacing of 45 cm. The seeding rate was 600,000 viable seeds per hectare. The crop care and harvesting procedures were carried out in accordance with the recommended practices for the region. It was found that the Belgorod 7 variety provided the highest productivity – 2.41. The Lancet variety showed good results (2.13 t/ha), and the minimum values were recorded for the Swap (1.66 t/ha) and Mezenka (1.63 t/ha) varieties. An analysis of the content of the main quality components – protein and fat – in the seeds of five modern soybean varieties showed a pronounced variability between genotypes, which is important when selecting varieties for the different purposes. The maximum value was recorded for the Zusha variety, at 41.7%. The Belgorodskaya 7 variety (39.3%) is in the second place, while other varieties – Mezenka (36.7%), Lantsetnaya (36.6%) and especially Svapa (35.5%) – are characterized by lower values, with the latter having a difference of almost 6.2% compared to the leader. As for the fat content, the leader is the Belgorodskaya 7 variety – 24.8%, which also exceeds the average value (23.54%) by 1.26%. High levels of this indicator were observed in the Lantsetnaya (24.1%) and Svapa (24.0%) varieties, while the Mezenka variety showed a decrease to 23.2%, and the Zusha variety had the lowest value of 21.5%, which is below the average.to 23.2%, and the Zusha variety had the lowest value of 21.5%, which is below the average.