Improved Soybean Varieties NRC 268 and NRC 270

The ICAR–National Soybean Research Institute (ICAR-NSRI), Indore assessed the yield potential of improved soybean varieties NRC 268 and NRC 270 during a Soybean Harvest Day.

• Preliminary harvest data showed yields of about 20 quintals per hectare despite adverse weather conditions, compared with India’s average soybean productivity of roughly 10–11 quintals per hectare.

About Soybean

• Soybean (Glycine max) is an annual leguminous crop belonging to the Fabaceae family.
• It is an important oilseed and protein-rich crop, widely used for edible oil, animal feed and industrial products.
• Being a legume, soybean helps improve soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation.
• In India, it is grown mainly as a rainfed Kharif crop in central and peninsular regions.

Climatic Requirements

• Climate: Warm and moist conditions are suitable for soybean.
• Temperature: Around 26.5–30°C is favourable for most varieties.
• Water: The crop is highly sensitive to water stress during flowering, pod formation and seed filling.
• Soil: Well-drained, fertile loamy soils with a pH of around 6.0–7.5 are suitable.

Major Soybean-Growing States

• Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are the leading soybean-growing States and together account for the bulk of India’s soybean area.
• Other important producers include Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.

Significance of NRC 268 and NRC 270

• Developed by ICAR-NSRI, Indore.
• Showed preliminary yield potential of around 20 quintals/ha under field conditions.
• Their performance indicates scope for raising soybean productivity and narrowing India’s yield gap.
• Multi-year and multi-location data will be important before drawing broader conclusions on productivity gains.