Investigation of the Potential of Growing Some Early-Season Soybean Genotypes as Alternative Crops Under the Ecological Conditions of Sivas

Soybean is of strategic importance among oilseed crops due to its versatile uses and its ability to meet the growing demand for vegetable oils driven by Kağan Köktenthe rapidly increasing global population. In Türkiye, soybean production remains far below the required levels to meet domestic demand, resulting in a growing reliance on imports each year. However, Türkiye has the potential for soybean production, given its favorable climate and soil conditions. To increase production, the development of local cultivars and the expansion of planting areas are essential. Specifically, including soybean in crop rotation systems in regions such as Central Anatolia, where the crop can be easily grown and developing new high-yield, high-quality varieties suited to these areas, will be crucial steps in boosting domestic production. This study aimed to evaluate the agro-morphological characteristics of several early-maturing soybean genotypes in the Sivas ecological conditions during the summer growing season and to explore soybean as an alternative crop. In this study, twenty-five soybean genotypes and five registered soybean varieties (Arısoy, Traksoy, Samsoy, Soyanam and Ataem-7) were used as materials. The study was conducted over one year during the 2023 soybean growing season at the Agricultural R&D Center trial field of Sivas University of Science and Technology. The field trial was set up according to a randomized block design with three replications. The obtained data showed that the days to first flowering ranged from 74.67 to 82.33 day and the days to maturity varied between 158 and 160 day. Additionally, the number of lateral branches ranged from 2.47 to 7.34 piece, the first pod height varied from 8.14 to 23.80 cm and the number of pods per plant ranged from 41.40 to 155 pods plant-1. The number of seeds per pod ranged from 2.47 to 3.11 piece and the pod weight varied from 0.10 to 0.36 g. The 100-seed weight was determined to be an average of 7.14 g. Significant statistical differences at the 5% level were observed for plant height, first pod height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of lateral branches, pod length, pod width, pod weight, and 100-seed weight. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the varieties Arısoy, Traksoy, Samsoy, Soyanam, Ataem-7 and the genotypes ÜNV-7, ÜNV-11, ÜNV-20 can be successfully cultivated in the climatic conditions of Sivas. However, it is emphasized that further studies over multiple years and in different climatic conditions are necessary to draw definitive conclusions.