Top 5 Steps to Boost Soybean Yield

As we work to increase soybean yields, we become aware that a lot of the fertility advice from the past was based on studies conducted in the middle of the previous century. However, do current genetics call for different fertility advice? That’s what this post will address. 

In this article, we’ll talk about factors that fluctuate over time and the foundations of agronomy that never change. 

The areas of concentration listed below should be considered the keys to high-yield soybeans’ success.  

1. Manage ResidueCrop residues on the soil surface must be managed while using conservation tillage. Crop leftovers, a renewable resource, are essential in promoting the benefits of conservation tillage. When crop residues are correctly handled, they preserve soil resources, improve soil quality, rebuild damaged ecosystems, improve nutrient cycling, increase water conservation and availability, improve pest control, such as nematode and weed control, reduce runoff and nutrient leaching off-site, and sustaining and increasing crop productivity and profitability.  
   2. Variety Selection

   The correct variety, selecting for relative maturity, and critical environment features are other crucial elements to consider in growing high-yielding soybeans. Even if growers may choose their items for the upcoming crop later, keeping an eye on how this year’s crop performs can be helpful. 

   Choosing a suitable variety is essential in several fields. The proper product must be placed on an appropriate acre by selecting a combination that will thrive in a given location based on unique soil characteristics and pest and disease threats. However, this does not entail choosing a variety that produced well for a neighbor or the array that yielded the greatest in a trial.  

   3. Early Weed ControlThe production of soybeans might suffer significantly from early weed pressure. Farmers may lose between 0.5 and 2 bushels every day. According to research, a soybean plant can detect weeds growing on the soil surface before they emerge and will begin to alter its physiology.  The plant detects weeds during the early developing stage in the first to third trifoliate (V1 to V3, also known as the Critical Weed-Free Period). It begins to lower yield potential due to competition from the nearby weeds.  

      However, growers can start cleaning and maintain this throughout the crucial weed-free period with the aid of cultural practices like row spacing, plant density, and variety selection, as well as an early application of herbicide trait technologies.  

      4. Fertility and pH ManagementMany soybean farmers rely on corn fertility leftovers to provide nutrients for their soybean crop. This may be a safe tactic, but it is frequently not when soils are habitually maintained at high phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels. According to several Extension soil fertility specialists, the P and K levels in their states’ soil tests are frequently insufficient for producing the best soybean yields. Growers of soybeans should also be cautious of the pH of their soil. For growing soybeans, a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 is thought to be optimum. Significantly, using cultivars with good iron deficiency chlorosis scores on high pH soils or liming acidic soils will help reduce yield decrease. 

         Soybeans are also rich in protein, which increases their nitrogen content. Each bushel of grain produced by soybeans removes around 4 pounds of nitrogen from the soil. Per bushel of corn grain produced, less than a pound of nitrogen is eliminated. Usually, nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria associated with the roots of the soybean plant provide all of the nitrogen required by the plant, negating the need to apply nitrogen fertilizer in regular production procedures.  

         5. In-Season FertilityDo you eat several small meals throughout the day or one large breakfast? Do you use your fertility front-loaded or stage-apply it? This has had a long history of discussion. Given the improvements in genetic production potential and the knowledge that soybeans require a lot of nutrients, treating your crop with foliar fertility may have advantages.  Given that the majority of your essential nutrients come from the soil and nitrogen fixation, if you’re thinking about doing this, it should be a part of a comprehensive crop nutrition program. The application of nutrients topically can improve plant health, especially when deficits arise or root development is sluggish early in the reproduction cycle.  

            Significantly, the timely application is essential. The optimal time to add nitrogen or boron is when the pods start to fill, which is between R2 and R3. Boron, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc are examples of micronutrients that may be helpful.  

            It is impossible to overstate the value of obtaining sufficient nodulation. Always use an inoculant when planting into a field that hasn’t been in soybeans for the previous two to three years. However, if there is insufficient modulation, it could be necessary to provide extra nitrogen during the growing season to sustain output. 

            Foliar feeding only increased yields by 15% to 20% of the time of the study. However, it may be advantageous when soil nutrients are scarce, such as in production on sandy soils or high-yielding irrigated fields. 

            Bottomline  

            Growing soybeans using these fundamental techniques won’t guarantee triple-digit yields for growers. However, it would be best if you aimed to increase your crop output by 10% rather than reach triple digits. Using the appropriate techniques can improve your bottom line without incurring the high expense of premium inputs because those minor improvements add up to profit.