Productivity, profitability and quality of soybean (Glycine max) as influenced by sowing date and row spacing under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

A field experiment was conducted at Palampur, Himachal Pradesh during the rainy (kharif) season of 2015 on acidic silty clay loam soil, to find out the optimum sowing date and row spacing for newly developed genotypes of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with the treatments comprising of 2 genotypes (‘HIMSO 1685’ and ‘Harasoya’), 3 dates of sowing (last week of May, first week and second week of June) and 2 inter-row spacings (45 cm and 60 cm). The new genotype, ‘HIMSO 1685’, proved superior over ‘Harasoya’. Significantly higher number of primary branches/plant, seeds/pod and protein and oil content were recorded in the crop sown during last week of May followed by first week of June. The highest pods/plant (85.4), seed index (208 g), seed yield (2.4 t/ha), straw yield (9.3 t/ha), net returns (58, 108/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (1.17) were noted in the crop sown during last week of May. Inter-row spacing of 45 cm resulted in the highest seed index (202 g), seed yield (2.1 t/ha), straw yield (8.3 t/ha) and net returns (45, 281/ha), and benefit: cost ratio (0.91). Sowing of soybean in the last week of May at 45 cm inter-row spacing were found to be the optimum agronomic practices for obtaining higher productivity and profitability, and better quality of ‘HIMSO 1685’ under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh.