This article was originally published in the September issue of Illinois Field & Bean. View the article here.
Harvest has always been a crowd favorite. Whether it’s the humid heat of summer being replaced by crisp, autumn air, or the end of year holidays peeking out on the horizon, harvest tends to bring with it a sense of happy endings. But as any farmer knows, the work doesn’t stop even after the crop is out of the field.... Read More →
ILSOYADVISOR POST
Agronomy: Are 100 Bushel Soybeans Possible in 2015?
March 26, 2015
Are 100 bushel soybeans possible in 2015? In 2014, two of our locations broke that barrier! At our Central Indiana location, what we call the 100 bushel mix (a combination of seed treatments), 50 lbs. preplant incorporated UAN and an application of foliar fungicide and insecticide led to a yield of 100.1 bushels per acre. At our Kentucky location, the same 100 bushel mix, Headline fungicide applied in furrow, 200 lbs. of Potash, 100 lbs. of Urea at R2, and Cobra at V5 led to 101.6 bushels per acre. As if that wasn’t good enough, a population study that was planted April 24th broke the 100 bushel barrier with 3 different populations! Check out Beck's 2014 PFR Book for further details!
- Variety Selection – matching the right soybean to the right field is imperative!
- Nutrient Management – Make sure you are fertilizing for your yield goals. If not, the plants could be at a shortfall for essential nutrients which may sacrifice top end yield. Remedy as needed with foliar nutrition if a shortfall is suspected. The use of tissue samples can determine if additional nutrition is needed.
- Drainage – better drained soybean fields will help prevent problem areas where water ponds or soils remain saturated. Better drainage helps with early season stand establishment and helps the soil to maintain a balance of air and water for optimal growth. Saturated soils create anaerobic conditions which can lead to poor nodulation and reduced nitrogen fixation.
- Plant Early – (when soil conditions are fit) to maximize growth potential through the season and provide opportunities for more nodes, flowers, and pods. Late planted beans do not typically get the same opportunity for growth and often go through the vegetative and reproductive stages more quickly resulting in less nodes, flowers, and pods.
- Start clean – using full rates of residual herbicides sets the stage for good early season weed control and reduces the impact of early season weed pressure
- Maintain good weed control – keeping the weeds controlled and preventing them from competing with the soybeans will help to maintain strong yield potential
- Foliar fungicide and insecticide – using foliar fungicide and insecticide as needed to protect the soybeans from diseases and insect pests can help to maintain high yield goals
We can have a strong impact on yield potential with the use of these principles; however, the ultimate determining factor of yield is weather!
Jonathan Perkins - CCA
Beck's Superior Hybrids
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