Morphology, forage and seed yield of soybean cultivars of different maturity grown as a forage crop in Turkey

Abstract

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] has long been used as a forage crop but its morphological development and forage potential have not been studied extensively. A study was conducted using oilseed soybean cultivars of different maturity to determine their morphological development, forage yield, seed components and seed yield at the University of Ankara, Turkey. Five soybean cultivars OAC Salem (earliest), OAC Bayfield (midearly), OAC Eclipse (mid-early but later than OAC Bayfield), OAC Glencoe (full-season soybean) and SA.88 (late), were used in the study conducted in 2000 and 2001. The full-season cultivar OAC Glencoe was the tallest cultivar, and had the highest levels of fresh and dry matter yield and crude protein yield among soybean cultivars in both years. Therefore, OAC Glencoe is considered to be the most suitable soybean cultivar for forage production when intercropped with corn in Ankara region of Turkey. However, attention should be given to the earliest maturing cultivar OAC Salem that had the highest seed yield and better relative seed composition of all the cultivars. Key words: Forage, soybean, cultivar, morphology, development