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Title: EVALUATION OF FORAGE SOYBEANS (GLYCINE MAX L. MERR.) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Author
item KOIVISTO, JASON - ROYAL COLLEGE OF AG
item SAWYER, CHARLOTTE - ROYAL COLLEGE OF AG
item BROWN, HARVEY - ROYAL COLLEGE OF AG
item LANE, GERRY - ROYAL COLLEGE OF AG
item Devine, Thomas

Submitted to: Grasslands Federation European Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/27/2002
Publication Date: 5/27/2004
Citation: Koivisto, J.M., Sawyer, C.S., Brown, H.J., Lane, G.P., Devine, T.E. Evaluation of forage soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.) in the United Kingdom [abstract]. Grasslands Federation European Proceedings. 7:432-433.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Traditionally the soybean was used as a forage crop. Recently several cultivars and experimental lines have been bred for forage production. This coincided with the banning of meat and bone meal as a source of protein in ruminant diets in the European Union, which has led to a greater demand for high protein crops. Two USA bred cultivars, Derry and Donegal, were grown in a trial at the Royal Agriculture College in 2000 and 2001 to assess the viability of soybeans as a forage crop in the UK. In 2001 six experimental lines were added to the study. In 2000 dry matter yields ranged from 2.64 to 2.72 t acre-1 (Derry and Donegal, respectively) for the early harvest and 3.43 to 3.55 t are-1 DM (Derry and Donegal, respectively) for the late harvest. In the second season Donegal was the highest yielding at the early harvest with 5.4 t acre-1 and SG13#169 had 5.4 t acre-1 at the late harvest. Percent leaf was not consistently associated with protein content. Across the two years the pod component did not exceed 11%. The experimental line SG13#169 had the highest CP, 15.3%, and a yield of 3.8 t acre-1 (at the first cut), and at the second harvest CP fell to 14.6%, but yield rose to 5.4 t acre-1, more than offsetting the change in quality. Additional testing is needed for more conclusive evaluation of these experimental lines.