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Producing more pods and more seeds means more yield, so here is how you do it.

Yield can be put into this simple equation: pods x seeds x plants = bushels. At this point in July there is no way to add more harvestable plants. So to increase bushels we need to adjust the equation to more pods X more seeds x fixed number of plants = more yield. The key to more pods is to save more flowers to turn into pods.

Soybean plants act a bit differently than corn plants when it comes to yield. A corn plant will cannibalize itself to put out the largest ear it can. A soybean plant, however, will give up and abort flowers and small pods at the first sign of stress. Soybeans are at the R2 growth stage in the beginning of July and your goal from here on out is to help plants make and maintain as many flowers, pods and seeds as possible before plants reach R6.

Soybeans plants have a yield potential that we have not been able to come close to achieving on a commercial level or even a contest level. We have seen in yield contests where we control as many variables as possible that 100+ bushel soybeans are possible, yet in full field conditions we do not get there.

Soybean yield starts at planting by having a strong foundation of good soil conditions and appropriate plant population, nutrition, disease protection and weed control. With a strong foundation you can easily put your field in position to have a 65 – 70 bushel/acre yield. Yield for a soybean plant is capitalized, however, when it reaches the reproductive stages.

To push yield above the 65- to 70-bushel spectrum plants need an additional kick. Going from 70 to 80 bushels is generally where we are seeing the biggest return from adding nitrogen and foliar nutrients to our soybean plants. This next jump also can be aided by the addition of plant growth regulators. Applying these products will help your soybean plants mitigate stress as well as help them put on additional flowers, pods and seeds, which in return adds to yield.

Increasing yield begins with having more yield potential to start with. Adding a quarterback to a football team that doesn’t have a good offensive line or a good receiver will not help you win a Super Bowl. But, if you have a good offensive line and a good receiver as your foundation, adding a quality quarterback can help you put more points on the scoreboard. Start out the season right to set the crop up for success and then ‘send in the plays’ to win the game.

Come to the ILSoyAdvisor field days on August 2^nd in Hinckley as Adam Day with Northern Partners and Jeff Bode with Winfield explain soybean growth and development, and demonstrate how a strong base program and the addition of plant growth regulators (PGRs) can help produce more pods and more yield. To register for an event, click here. 

Adam Day is a Certified Crop Advisor working with Northern Partners Cooperative in Ottawa, Illinois, as an Agronomy Account Manager. He works directly with growers on a daily basis, providing them with information and services to help them make decisions in their operations. His goal in working with farmers is to have a partnership to increase yield, profitability and sustainability.