Aarhus, Denmark
September 8, 2010
The possibility of growing organic soya beans in Denmark is becoming more and more realistic as results and experience from the project ”Danish, organic growing of soya beans for food and fodder” are being gathered. Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University lead the project, that is being carried out in collaboration with the food company Naturli’ Foods A/S and the Knowledge Centre for Agriculture with financial support from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
Benefits to many people
The aim of the project is to achieve a good quality of Danish organically grown soya beans as a basis for producing vegetable alternatives to dairy products. This would benefit consumers who choose not to use products based on milk.
Danish-grown soya beans could also be used as fodder on organic animal production farms. Soya beans contain 40-42 percent protein with a suitable amino acid composition. The beans also contain 16-18 percent fat with a relatively high ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Our goal is to develop guidelines for growing organic soya beans under Danish conditions. The results of field experiments during recent years are positive. We are therefore optimistic about introducing organic production of soya beans in Denmark, says senior scientist Jens Petersen, Department of Agroecology and Environment at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.
GMO-free soya beans from Central Europe were used for the field experiments. This year three old Swedish varieties from the Nordic Gene Bank are included.
Soya beans in Danish fields
The research results show that soya beans require a soil temperature of 10°C at sowing followed by a warm and stable period to ensure the plants a good start. Irrigation promotes the soya beans’ symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria as well as growth and seed formation.
Row distance, nutrient supply, drying, and other factors are described and commented in the report from the study. Compared to other nitrogen-fixing crops, such as broad beans, lupines and field peas, soya beans seem to yield a reasonably good profit. There is, however, a certain risk involved in soya bean growing because the beans mature relatively late in the season when the weather is less stable. This can cause difficulties at harvest and the beans often require drying before storage.
Exchange of experience
There is an increasing interest in growing soya beans in temperate climate zones in Europe, including Denmark. The research results and practical experience were disseminated at a theme-day in June 2010 at the faculty’s research station in Jyndevad.
Experts from Austria, Sweden and Denmark gave talks about the soya bean market, growing of soya beans, using soya beans, and the economy of soya bean production. Papers from the meeting have been published in a report.
Read more about the project (in Danish) Danish, organic growing of soya beans for food and fodder.
Results from the 2009 field experiments (in Danish): Dansk, økologisk dyrkning af sojabønner til fødevare- og foderformål – resultater 2009, Intern rapport, Markbrug nr. 25, April 2010
Papers from the theme-day (in English and Danish): Dansk, økologisk dyrkning af sojabønner til fødevare- og foderformål – temadag og markvandring 22. juni 2010, Intern rapport, Markbrug nr. 27, June 2010
For more information please contact: Senior scientist Jens Petersen, Department of Agroecology and Environment, telephone: +45 8999 1712, e-mail: Jens.Petersen@remove-this.agrsci.dk
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