Chapter 291 - 151: Root System (Part 2)

Chapter 291: Chapter 151: Root System (Part 2)

For their first crop, the main root system is concentrated at a depth of 0 to 30 centimeters, with a small portion of the fibrous roots reaching down to 110 centimeters.

By the second crop, their main root system extends to a depth of 50 to 60 centimeters, and the fibrous roots reach down to 150 to 170 centimeters.

And by the third crop, the main root system extends even further to a depth of around 100 centimeters, with the fibrous roots reaching 270 centimeters.

At the same time, the weight and number of their root tubers also increase continuously: from 10 to 15 tubers weighing 3 to 5 kilograms for the first crop; to 20 to 30 tubers weighing 6 to 10 kilograms for the second; to 40 to 60 tubers weighing 12 to 20 kilograms for the third.

This is why the Immortal Bean series begins to show a surge in yield starting from the third crop—their roots have accumulated an enormous amount of water and nutrients.

Of course, the root tubers aren’t without their drawbacks.

For example, many tubers will sprout and grow, causing a single soybean plant to produce over a dozen new shoots in the second crop. However, this can be managed by manually weeding out some of the excess shoots, strengthening the main stem by pruning away the side branches to ensure yield.

By the third crop, however, Jiang Miao estimated that the Immortal Bean’s root system had likely reached its limit.

This was determined by the planting density in the farmland.

Surrounded by the root systems of other soybeans, their main roots naturally had no room to expand. In a natural environment, the Immortal Bean’s root system could likely continue spreading in all directions until the end of its lifespan.

The Immortal Bean’s genes contain fragments from *Glycine tomentella*, a wild perennial soybean species that typically survives for about 3 years in the wild but has a maximum lifespan of up to 10 years.

Based on the current situation, Jiang Miao estimated that under artificial cultivation, the Immortal Bean series should have a maximum lifespan of 6 to 7 years.

However, considering that the yield of perennial plants declines in their later years, the old plants could be removed in the fifth year and replaced with new seedlings.

Of course, the underground soybean tubers could also be dug up and used as seeds. This is similar to using beans as seeds and can even ensure a faster initial growth rate.

The effect of the Immortal Bean series on transforming sandy soil was also astonishing.

Legumes themselves form large, nitrogen-rich root nodules. Combined with the Immortal Bean’s massive root system and ever-increasing tubers, this causes a sharp increase in the soil’s organic matter.

A simple calculation makes it clear. At the end of their life cycle, there are about 15,000 Immortal Bean plants per mu. The root system and tubers of a single plant weigh around 30 kilograms combined. After removing the water content, this leaves about 7.5 kilograms of cellulose, starch, fructose, vitamins, and inorganic salts. This translates to an increase of 112.5 metric tons of dry matter per mu.

Adding the dead branches and leaves from the two annual crops, each plant produces about 40 to 50 grams of dry matter per crop. Over five years, this amounts to another 6 to 7 metric tons of dry matter.

Factoring in natural decomposition and the plant’s own consumption, this would add about 75 metric tons of organic matter to the soil, equivalent to creating an 11.25-centimeter-thick layer of black soil.

Currently, the black soil layer in the Northeast Region has already shrunk from a thickness of 70 to 100 centimeters in the last century to only 20 to 40 centimeters.

Planting Immortal Soybeans on a five-year cycle is equivalent to creating an 11.25-centimeter-thick layer of man-made black soil.

Even if soybean production becomes excessive in the future, the farmland transformed by these Immortal Soybeans can be used to grow drought-resistant crops.

As long as irrigation is sufficient, one could even consider planting crops with moderate water consumption.

However, in the Monan Region, only the eastern part could possibly support non-drought-resistant crops. The central and western parts of Monan would likely be limited to growing soybeans.

The Northeast Region, however, could consider using Immortal Soybeans for black soil conservation. Planting Immortal Soybeans for five years could restore 10 to 11 centimeters of the organic soil layer. This could be followed by five years of high-intensity farming. Repeating this cycle could largely ensure that the organic matter content of the Northeast’s black soil remains stable.

This would not only be effective for the black soil of the Northeast but could also have an excellent conservation effect on the farmlands of the Loess Plateau and the North China Plain.

After all, the organic matter in the farmland soil of the Loess Plateau and the North China Plain has declined sharply in recent decades. Furthermore, the current market price for organic fertilizer is not cost-effective, making large-scale supplementation a significant expense for farmers.

A crop rotation system could be adopted. The land could be divided into two parts: one for planting wheat, corn, and millet, and the other for Immortal Soybeans. After five years, the crops would be swapped.

Moreover, the precipitation, sunlight, and heat conditions in the North China Plain and the Loess Plateau are much better than in Monan. This would accelerate the accumulation of dry matter in the Immortal Soybeans’ roots. If land utilization efficiency is a concern, the Immortal Soybean root systems could be crushed and returned to the field as early as the third year.

However, Jiang Miao also knew it would be difficult to acquire large tracts of farmland in the densely populated North China Plain. ’Given the severe land-related conflicts there, Hailufeng Company won’t get involved in the hustle and bustle of the North China Plain. We can just sell the seeds directly when the time comes.’

’As for the Loess Plateau, its terrain, crisscrossed by countless gullies, combined with local environmental protection requirements, also makes it unsuitable for Hailufeng Company to enter.’

This was why Jiang Miao had chosen Eastern Monan as the site for the first large-scale experimental fields.

...

After inspecting the main base, Jiang Miao went to the nearby second base, located near the Silver Sand Bay Scenic Area.

This base was also 500 mu in size and had been converted from a large stretch of sandy land behind some residential houses not far from the highway.