Despite heavy rainfall in much of the Midsouth during June, many soybeans planted in March and April are looking good heading into harvest.

“Early spring conditions in March and April favored widespread planting, particularly in the Delta areas of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana,” says Kelly Whiting, Soybean Agronomist for Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL). “Despite heavy June rains in the southern portion of the Midsouth, early-maturity varieties planted by the first half of April appear on track to mature and be harvested for early delivery.”

In Lee County, Arkansas, Billy Don Hinkle planted 100 acres of DP 4546 RR on March 20. The beans were planted with a cotton planter on 38-inch rows and are growing in a non-irrigated, no-till environment. He expects to harvest the soybeans around August 25.

“They are loaded up with pods all the way to the top of the plants and every pod contains three beans,” says Hinkle. “They were waist-high by mid-July. They lapped over the middles very quickly and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of yield they make.”

A cotton producer, Hinkle says he grows soybeans “on the side.”

“I’ve got no fertilizer under the 100 acres of DP 4546 RR; just a couple of shots of Roundup herbicide,” he says. “The price for beans is still good and I’ve spent very little money on the crop. I wish I had planted more than 100 acres.”

About 15 miles to the northeast, Jed Anderson’s 90 acres of DP 4546 RR also look very good. Planted on April 3, the non-irrigated field caught good rainfall during the early part of the summer.

“At mid-July, I am very pleased,” he says. “They have pods to the top with three beans in most of the pods. They grew off real well. I am hoping for one more rain to really boost the yield.”

DP 4546 RR is a new Roundup Ready^® soybean variety with 4.5 maturity from D&PL that has performed well on poorly-drained soils well, a factor that may have helped it steam through the wettest June on record in some areas. DP 4546 RR has also performed well on tough clay soils, heavier ground and under dry conditions. This variety has a strong disease package with demonstrated resistance to frogeye leaf spot, Cercospora leaf blight and sudden death syndrome. It has also demonstrated resistance to stem canker.

DP 4546 RR is a recommended soybean variety for planting on wide rows. It is a medium-tall plant that branches out quickly to canopy over rows, making it an excellent variety for planting early.

At Tri-Delta Farms in Arcola, Miss., Hunter Morehead Sr. is anticipating an August harvest on DP 4331 RR, which he planted on March 29. 

“We drill-planted them in seven-and-one-half-inch spacing on Deere Creek Soil,” says Morehead. “We have been very pleased with the way they grew off and their height today. They are loaded with pods from top to bottom. I’m looking forward to cutting them and expect to be harvesting the third week of August to make an August delivery for a premium.”

DP 4331 RR has demonstrated potential to really yield on productive soils. It has a 4.3 maturity and has shown excellent seedling vigor. DP 4331 RR has shown moderate resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode Races 3 and 14, and has very good lodging and shatter resistance. Like DP 4546 RR, DP 4331 RR has shown good resistance to Cercospora leaf blight, frogeye leaf spot and sudden death syndrome.

As always, growers are advised to scout fields for insect pests, mainly stinkbugs, says Whiting.

“This may be particularly important when corn harvesting gets under way and stinkbugs, as well as corn earworms (also called podworms), migrate to the next nearest source of green, succulent tissue,” he says. “This time of year, this target tends to be green pods of early-maturing soybeans.”

Piercing and feeding on pods by stinkbugs and corn earworms not only inflicts yield loss, but also induces deterioration of seed quality, particularly under warm, humid conditions common in August and September.

Visit www.deltaandpine.com, and click on SOYBEAN PRODUCTS to view information about all Delta and Pine Land Company soybean varieties.

Delta and Pine Land Company is a commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed, as well as soybean seed, in the Cotton Belt. For almost 90 years, the company has used its extensive plant breeding programs, drawing from a diverse germplasm base, to develop improved cotton varieties. Delta and Pine Land Company (NYSE: DLP), headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, has offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries.

 Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used a license from Monsanto Technology LLC.