SOUTH AMERICA: Comprehensive studies on the development of sustainable soybean production technology using agro-pastoral systems in South America

摘要

Soybean is considered to be one of the principal crops that are crucial to human sustenance; they are also a major source of food, oil, and protein-rich livestock feed Consequently, production of this valuable crop has increased substantially in the past three decades in comparison to other major grains. At present, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay (MERCOSUR countries) account for half of the global soybean production, thereby constituting the world's leading soybean export countries. Recent high market prices of soybean have impelled farmers to engage in continuous soybean cropping, and soybean cultivation has rapidly expanded to areas characterized by environmentally unfavorable conditions, such as arid and acid soils characterized by low fertility. Such continuous cropping may result in serious outbreaks of pests and diseases, and soil erosion may adversely affect future soybean production. In order to address such concerns, comprehensive, multinational research efforts have been initiated in order to develop sustainable and increasingly efficient soybean production methods in South America.