How to Raise Yields in Continuous Soybeans

Soybeans are a versatile and nutritious food.

Continuous soybeans are grown almost all year long. Soybeans are easy to grow and offer commercial value as food, fodder, green manure and biofuel. Over time the use of a plot of land for the same crop will deplete the soil and decrease yields by as much as 30 percent. Corn and soybean rotation is the best way to ensure that the soil stays fertile and seems to increase the yield of both. Continuous soybean yield can be boosted by briefly using a winter cover crop to give the land a chance to recover from the nutrient needs of the soybeans and break down residues from the soybean crop.

Things You'll Need

• Tiller
• Rake
• Broadcast seeder
• Winter wheat seed
• Hose
• Sprinkler
• Sand
• Chicken manure
• Disease resistant soybean seeds
• Soaker hose
• Hose end sprayer
• Fungicide
• Insecticide

Instructions

1. Till the soybean plants into the soil after the last harvest in fall. This will return nitrogen to the soil that legume crops capture. Rake out any large rocks or debris and even out the soil surface.

2. Load the hopper at the top of the broadcast seeder with wheat seed and set the rate for 2 bushels per acre. Walk even lanes and rotate the crank to dispense the seed evenly. Keep a steady pace and slightly overlap each lane.

3. Set a sprinkler in the newly sown bed until puddles form. This increased moisture will enhance germination and soil to seed contact.

4. Water the seedlings enough to keep the top 2 inches of soil damp. Allow the wheat to grow until late winter or early spring or as soon as the soil is workable. Till in the wheat plants.

5. Work 3 inches of sand and 5 inches of chicken manure into the soil. The highest yields of soybeans are on well-drained soils where chicken manure was incorporated.

6. Broadcast the soybean seeds so they are at least 1/2 inch apart. Rake the seeds in until they are partially covered by soil. Use the sprinkler to water them in.

7. Use a soaker hose for normal irrigation. Keep the earth mildly moist to a depth of 1/3 inch. This lowers the heat stress on the plants by cooling the plant canopy. Increase watering 1 or 2 inches per week once pods begin to form.

8. Watch carefully for signs of fungus or pests. Apply an appropriate fungicide or insecticide for the problem. Make sure you check to make certain the product is labeled for use in soybean crops. Use a hose end sprayer to apply. Good cultivation practices raise yield significantly.

References

• Ontario Minestry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Horst Bohner; Sept. 15, 2006
• Soybean E-Digest; 5 Proven Ways to Increase Soybean Yields; John Pocock; March 26, 2009
• "Corn and Soybean Digest"; Stay in Rotation; Heather Norton; Feb. 1, 2001
• Ohio State University; Aerial and Other Broadcast Methods of Seeding; Daniel L. Jeffers, Jim Buerlein