Determining the optimum sowing period in soybean production and optimum pneumatic seeder capacity

Soybean is among the most important oilseed crops in the world in terms of cultivation area, production amount and international trade. Soybean, which makes up more than 50% of the oilseed plants produced in the world, is a product with high added value because it is also used as a source of fat and protein in human nutrition and as an important feed source in poultry, meat and dairy farming with its crude protein content in its pulp. Today, soybean cultivation in Turkey is mainly carried out in the Çukurova region. Especially Adana and Osmaniye provinces meet 80-85% of Turkey's soybean production. According to TUIK data, soybean cultivation area, which was around 235 thousand decares in 2010, increased to 264 thousand decares in 2011 and 328 thousand decares in 2018. In this study, information on soybean cultivation was obtained from farmers through a questionnaire. It has collected important data for the soybean mechanization management, especially the optimum sowing time, feed rate, daily working times. Using these data, the sowing machine capacities that the farmers should have were estimated according to the size of the farm. Optimum working width values were determined with the calculations for 4-200 hectares and it was determined that there are ownership potentials for one unit and 5 machines with 4 units each. According to the sowing machines available in the market, a database has been created so that the farmer can make the optimum selection.