Influence of technology elements on soil structure and yield of Diplomat soybean variety in the Amur Regio

Abstract

The relevance of the research lies in the growing interest in soybeans as a high-protein and oilseed crop, especially due to the increased consumption of plant-based products. The soil as a physical body is characterized as a complex system consisting of various particles differing in size, chemical, and mineralogical composition. A high content of agronomic valuable aggregates in the soil contributes to increased soil fertility and crop yields. In modern agricultural production, intensive technologies are used to increase the yields and improve the quality indices of soybean grain. The research findings on the effect of seeding rate and row spacing on soil agrophysical properties and the yield of the new soybean variety Diplomat developed in the Far Eastern State Agricultural University are discussed. The research goal was to determine the optimal row spacing and seeding rate of the soybean variety Diplomat to realize its productivity under the conditions of the southern zone of the Amur Region. The research was conducted in 2024 and 2025 on meadow-chernozem-like heavy loamy soils in the experimental field of the Far Eastern State Agricultural University. The experimental design included a row sowing method with row spacing of 15 and 45 cm and seeding rates of 400, 500, 600, and 700 thousand seeds per ha. The structural and aggregate state of the soil was analyzed, and the features of yield formation of the new soybean variety Diplomat were studied. It was found that the possibility of inter-row tillage during the crop care period increased the content of agronomic valuable aggregates in soybean crops with a row spacing of 45 cm by 12.6%. During the soybean yield accounting for the Diplomat variety, it was found that the highest yield values (2.1 t ha) were achieved in the variant with a row spacing of 45 cm and a seeding rate of 600 thousand seeds ha. The positive correlation coefficient was r = 0.84.