Soybean farming — season guide: stages, tasks & pest watch

A stage-by-stage guide for growing soybean in India (~100 days) — what to do when, the fertilizer schedule, and the pests to watch. Confirm specifics with your local KVK.

This is a practical, season-long guide for soybean — built from package-of-practice norms. Always confirm doses, products and exact timing with your local KVK / agriculture officer; conditions vary by area and year.

Crop stages

• Sowing & germination (day 0–10)

• Vegetative growth (day 10–40)

• Flowering (day 40–60)

• Pod fill (day 60–90)

• Maturity & harvest (day 90–100)

What to do, when

• Day 0: Rhizobium seed treatment + sow + basal

• Day 20: Weeding / first inter-culture

• Day 35: Scout for girdle beetle / stem fly

• Day 55: Protective irrigation at flowering

• Day 70: Scout for caterpillars at pod fill

• Day 100: Harvest + plan market

Fertilizer schedule (soil-test led)

• Sowing & germination: Rhizobium seed treatment + basal P + K (low N) — 30 kg P2O5 + 20 kg K2O — legume fixes N; avoid heavy N

• Flowering: Foliar spray if deficiency — as needed — confirm with KVK

Pests & diseases to watch (IPM first)

• Vegetative growth: Girdle beetle / stem fly — remove affected shoots, neem; confirm with KVK

• Pod fill: Leaf-eating caterpillars / semilooper — pheromone traps, bird perches; confirm chemical with KVK

A note on cost & price

Plan your inputs against a budget and track spend as you go. Mandi prices move through the season — check current rates before selling; khetigpt sends price alerts for your district. The figures here are estimates, not guarantees.