Transformations in Argentinean soybean systems: Recent changes, challenges, and opportunities

Abstract

We reviewed the historical agronomic shifts that made Argentina a major soybean producer and discussed some of the current challenges and opportunities to further increase soybean production. The early high adoption rate of this crop was a result of the combination of high relative soybean prices with low production costs and effectively developed technologies that simplified farm activities such as no-till sowing and the use of glyphosate-resistant cultivars. Decades of agronomic research have helped adjust management practices to suit different rainfed environments across Argentina. Despite these efforts, a substantial gap between the rainfed yield potential and current farmer yield remains. Further improvements via crop structure adjustment would require a better understanding of temporal weather variations. Additional possibilities for yield gap reduction rely on improvements in fertilization practices. At present, only half of the soybean area is fertilized, and fertilizer rates are typically below the crop demand driven by an unfavorable grain/fertilizer price ratio. While there is still work to be done to narrow the soybean yield gaps via yield-protecting practices, further progress in genetic yield potential is also desirable. Additionally, a faster adoption rate of newly released cultivars could further increase yield gains. Finally, the extensive adoption of soybean has revealed that fields frequently growing soybean experience soil degradation and lower crop yields. Diversifying rotations with cereal crops is crucial to prevent these issues. All these aspects are relevant to both local and global soybean production, considering the significant role that Argentina is expected to play in the coming years.