New soybean yield record set in NE China

HARBIN -- A new national soybean yield record has been set in a high-yield soybean production competition in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, which was assessed by an expert panel authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

According to the assessment results made available on Sunday, the 854 Farm Co., Ltd. of the Beidahuang Group achieved 311.2 kg of soybean yield per mu (0.07 hectares) on a contiguous 100-mu field, taking first place in the provincial contest.

The farm planted "Kennong 34," a soybean variety developed by Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University.

Li Kun, an agricultural technician on the farm, said that the weather this year was suitable for soybean growth, with sufficient rainfall. Meanwhile, the company's unified supply of agricultural materials and the application of technical measures such as inoculation of rhizobia and the use of organic fertilizer also contributed to the bumper harvest.

Heilongjiang organized the competition in order to fully tap the potential of soybean production, attracting growers from 619 farming plots covering 385,600 mu of soybean plantation.

The province is China's main soybean production base, contributing to more than 40 percent of the country's total soybean planting area. It has achieved its target of adding 10 million mu of soybean plantation this year, with its total soybean growing area exceeding 68.5 million mu.

According to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs, as of Sunday, soybeans have been harvested on more than 34 million mu.