The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

This study was conducted to select a desiccant and determine its concentration for safe usage to improve the harvesting efficiency of soybeans. Soybeans were treated with a desiccant (non-selective herbicide) before and after the maturation stage. The drying effect of the desiccant was higher at earlier treatment times than at the maturation stage, but the difference was not statistically significant. The higher efficacy might be related to the drying process of the leaves and stems, with most of the leaves and stems having already been dried by the time of hand harvesting. Desiccant treatments had no adverse effects on soybean yield, weight of 100 grains, seed quality, or seed germination rate compared with the untreated control. Pesticide residue analysis showed minimum residue concentration to be lower than the tolerance level of pesticide residues. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the desiccant was effective in drying soybean, and that there was no damage to the quality of soybean seeds. In addition to the drying effect, the dessicant treatment also facilitates the removal of weeds that interfere with the mechanical harvest and improves harvesting efficiency through the drying of the growth imbalanced individual. The desiccant treatment is expected to shorten the mechanical harvesting time by 1-2 weeks. It is thought that the selection of the proper cultivation period for other crops after soybean cultivation will be more advantageous.