Urbana, Illinois
April 17, 2008
University
of Illinois Extension
The
Bulletin No. 4 Article 7 / April 7, 2008
April brings the
excitement and anxiety of planting at the start of a
whole new crop year. So far, April '09 has brought below-average
temperatures and above-average rainfall for most of Illinois. So
if soggy soil has you inside, here are some thoughts to remember
throughout the spring regarding what soybean varieties to plant.
It's likely you
decided what to plant for all or most of your acres during the
winter months. However, you might need to purchase a final few
bags, or you may develop additional need for soybean seed as the
spring progresses. If so, don't rush your final variety
selections under the pressure of "I want to finish planting."
Selecting appropriate genetics is always the first and best way
to increase your yield and profits. This is particularly true
with your soybean crop because maximum yields can be achieved
from a wider planting timeline than with corn. Historically,
maximum soybean yields can be achieved for planting dates
between the third week of April and the third week of May, with
the first two weeks of May being the likely best time. I will
elaborate more on planting date studies in an upcoming article,
but the point today is this: Continue to take the necessary time
to select varieties with the appropriate maturity, soybean cyst
nematode resistance, disease resistance, and overall agronomic
characteristics to match the needs of your fields and farming
operation.
In addition to
getting details from your local seed supplier, utilize the yield
and lodging information generated by the
University of Illinois Variety Testing program. If you don't
find the soybean varieties you use on your farm, nominate a
variety to be tested in the future. Additional variety
information, including SCN resistance data and disease ratings,
is provided by the
Varietal
Information Program for Soybeans, funded by the Illinois
Soybean Association. Yield data for all varieties and testing
locations in 2008 ranged in bushels per acre from 39.9 to 73.2
(maturity group II), 45.9 to 73.6 (group III), and 54.3 to 77.4
(group IV). Proper seed selection, then, can easily have
implications of 25 to 30 bushels an acre. These are also wider
ranges in yield than are typically observed for soybean planting
date experiments until planting dates extend into late June. A
few good hours selecting the right seed is worth more than a few
good hours planting a variety resulting from a poor or hasty
choice.
Please remember
one final and important guideline throughout the planting
season. Your grain bin full of Roundup Ready soybean seeds from
last fall's harvest is not a last-minute seed supply. The legal
contract you signed when you bought the parent seeds of that
harvest does not become void because you need a few more bags in
a hurry. Besides, those seeds will be uncleaned and untreated
and will have an unknown germination rate, making using them a
questionable and risky agronomic practice.
Author:
Vince M. Davis |
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