January 4, 2021
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TRIAL OBJECTIVE
- Effective management of resources is required to optimize farm operations. In soybean production, decisions involving seed selection, seeding rate, soil fertility, and eliminating or reducing the impact of plant stressors, effectively determine the productivity and profitability of the farm.
- Historically, soybeans have not been managed as intensively as corn, possibly resulting in sub-optimal yields and economic losses. Achieving higher yields and profits may require dedication of resources and a new approach to resource management in soybean production.
- This trial was conducted with the objective of determining the impact of production inputs on grain yield and ultimately the return on investment (ROI) in soybean production.
RESEARCH SITE DETAILS
| Location | Huxley, IA | ||
| Soil Type | Clay loam | ||
| Previous Crop | Corn | ||
| Tillage Type | Strip tillage |
| Planting Date | 5/11/2019 | ||
| Harvest Date | 10/1/2020 | ||
| Potential Yield (bu/acre) | 60 | ||
| Seeding Rate (seeds/acre) | 110K, 140K |
- Nine production systems were compared in a high management system trial in central Iowa.
- A full season, 2.9 maturity group (MG), soybean variety was used for the trial.
- Plots were planted with six rows per treatment, with 30-inch row spacing, and two replications per treatment.
- Trial details are indicated in Table 1.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS
Figure 1. Effects of nine management practices on the average yield (bu/acre) and ROI ($/acre) of soybean in central Iowa. Soybean grain price was set at $10 per bushel.
- In general, average yields increased as more inputs were added to the system except in System 6 where the inclusion of nitrogen negatively impacted yield.
- In this trial, micronutrients zinc and sulfur (System 4 and System 5) improved yield as compared to System 1.
- ILeVO® seed treatment improved average yield by as much as 3 bu/acre (System 2 vs. System 1).
- Average yields were slightly better at 110K seeds/acre than at 140K seeds/acre (System 3 vs. System 1; System 8 vs. System 9).
- Foliar fungicide and insecticide applications improved average yields by as much as 5 bu/acre (System 7 vs. System 1).
- System 3 was the most economically profitable management program for this trial.
KEY LEARNINGS
- Except for nitrogen, the inputs used had a positive impact on soybean yield. However, the high input systems were not the most economically viable practices because the extra yield gained was not enough to offset their respective production costs.
- At the geographical region of the trial location (central Iowa), System 1 is considered the grower standard (the most common practice). Thus, apart from System 6 and System 9, all the other systems produced a positive ROI.
- Crop yield response to production inputs can be highly variable, often impacted by the environmental conditions during the growing season. Farmers are therefore advised to consult their trusted crop advisors when making such decisions.
1018_R1_20
TAILORED SOLUTIONS – SOYBEAN SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT - 2019
TRIAL OBJECTIVE
- Historically, soybeans have not been managed as intensively as corn, possibly resulting in sub-optimal yields and economic losses. Achieving higher yields in soybeans may require the dedication of resources, ranging from seed selection to pest management to fertility management.
- Such decisions should ultimately lead to improved yields and profitability to be sustainable. However, investing more inputs in soybean production in the current market situation is not appealing to most growers.
- The objective of this trial was to determine the economic value of two production systems:
- Grower standard system
- Premium system (high inputs)
RESEARCH SITE DETAILS
| Location | Huxley, IA | ||
| Soil Type | Clay loam | ||
| Previous Crop | Corn | ||
| Tillage Type | Strip tillage |
| Planting Date | 5/13/19 | ||
| Harvest Date | 10/18/19 | ||
| Potential Yield (bu/acre) | 60 | ||
| Seeding Rate (seeds/acre) | 125K, 150K |
- Three soybean varieties with different maturity groups (MGs) were used for this trial. The varieties selected had a varied Relative Maturity (RM) spread for the location in order to help understand input response:
- 2.0 MG (early variety for the research location)
- 2.5 MG (mid-season variety for the research location)
- 2.9 MG (full-season variety for the research location)
- Each soybean variety was planted at both the premium and grower standard systems.
- Grower Standard
- 150,000 seeds/acre seeding rate
- Seeds were treated with the Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions STANDARD fungicide and insecticide treatments.
- Premium
- 125,000 seeds/acre seeding rate
- Seeds were treated with the Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions STANDARD fungicide and insecticide treatments.
- ILeVO® seed treatment
- Foliar fungicide and insecticide application at R3
- Grower Standard
- The trial was carried out in 30-inch row spacing, 6 rows/treatment with 3 replications.
- Tillage and weed management were the same in both systems.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS
- The premium system out-yielded the grower standard, producing an average of approximately 6 bu/acre more yield across all three soybean varieties.
- The full-season variety (2.9 MG) performed better than the other varieties in the premium system.
- With the current grain price of $8.43/bu, about 3 bu/acre is required to pay for the extra inputs of the premium system in all three varieties.
KEY LEARNINGS
- Crop yield response to production inputs can be highly variable, often impacted by the environmental conditions during the growing season. Farmers are therefore advised to consult their trusted crop advisors when making such decisions.
1018_R1