Soy-Maize Crop Rotations in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review

Table 1

Summary of agronomic requirements for the cultivation of maize and soy.

Agronomic requirement	Maize	Soy
Rain requirement	500–1500 mm/growing season (some varieties can survive with ∼250 mm/growing season)	500–900 mm/growing season
Fertilizer application	Nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) 15-15-15	Single superphosphate (4–60 kg·P·ha^−1)
Seed inoculation	No	Yes
Construction of ridges	No	Yes
Space between rows/ridges	75 cm	50 cm
Planting depth	5 cm	1-2 cm
Space between plants within a row	25 cm	5 cm
Growing season	∼100–120 days	∼100–150 days
Major pests/pathogens	Fall armyworm, stem borers, maize lethal necrosis, and maize streak geminivirus	Parasitic nematodes, bacterial pustule, frogeye leaf spot, red leaf blotch, and soybean rust

Maize and soy have different requirements for growing, including the amount of rain needed during a growing season, fertilizer requirements, row spacing, planting depth, and major pests and pathogens. Most notable are the differences in fertilization requirements between the two crops.