So who is going to continue to grow these?
Locally I haven't heard of many yields that would sound profitable.
Do you think the protein problem is a result of it being a relatively new crop without enough soil born rhizobia and maybe even the double inoculation isn't working properly? Or the growing season is actually too short? What about years where there is an early frost and the top third of the yield is shaved off by a fall frost? The plant obviously isn't physiologically mature and maybe the seeds that are set aren't either, resulting in green seeds and maybe a lack of protein in the first ones set.
Breeders may be able to shorten the maturity date by a bit at a time but ultimately do we have a long enough season to keep growing these things with decent results. And ultimately, drought tolerance is a huge factor where I farm, if they need that late growing season moisture at a time of year when you consider our true monsoon season, June, is over and any decent rain in July/August is purely the luck of the draw in the rain lottery.....
Locally I haven't heard of many yields that would sound profitable.
Do you think the protein problem is a result of it being a relatively new crop without enough soil born rhizobia and maybe even the double inoculation isn't working properly? Or the growing season is actually too short? What about years where there is an early frost and the top third of the yield is shaved off by a fall frost? The plant obviously isn't physiologically mature and maybe the seeds that are set aren't either, resulting in green seeds and maybe a lack of protein in the first ones set.
Breeders may be able to shorten the maturity date by a bit at a time but ultimately do we have a long enough season to keep growing these things with decent results. And ultimately, drought tolerance is a huge factor where I farm, if they need that late growing season moisture at a time of year when you consider our true monsoon season, June, is over and any decent rain in July/August is purely the luck of the draw in the rain lottery.....
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