How to Manage High-Yield Soybeans

The soybean is grown on five continents for its low-cost protein for both people and animals.

The yield of each soybean plant is determined genetically, but effective management practices will help maximize these yields. Planting rates, pest control, fertilization and harvesting will affect how many bushels each crop produces. It is also important to minimize the number of environmental stresses in the immediate area. Soybean care requires that producers frequently remove pests, avoid dehydration or nutrient deficiency and allow each plant the space to grow fully developed root systems.

Things You'll Need

• High-yield soybean seeds
• Motorized ground tiller
• Glyphosate or selective herbicide
• Imidacloprid-based insecticide
• 60 lbs. phosphate fertilizer per acre

Instructions

Soybean Farming

1. Purchase high-yielding varieties of soybeans that can handle changing environmental stresses. Ask seed producers about specific agronomic traits.

2. Plant seed with a tiller in rows less than 30 inches apart to improve light penetration and growth. Plant early during the spring season, such as in April in most Midwest locations.

3. Manage soybean pathogens by rotating soybeans with non-host crops, such as corn, each year.

4. Fertilize soil with 60 lbs. of phosphate fertilizer per acre, once in spring and again in fall.

5. Harvest crops between 45 to 65 days after sowing, or at maturity.

Pest Control

1. Spray selective herbicides at the beginning of each growing season to promote canopy development and fight weed competition.

2. Scout weekly for insect threats, such as leaf beetles and soybean aphids.

3. Introduce insecticide to remove insect pests that might be damaging crop yield.

Tips & Warnings

• Test soil for nutrient deficiencies once every three years to maximize production of crops. Soil tests can be obtained from your local extension office to determine the status of soil nutrients.

• Be sure to use a selective herbicide that is not harmful to soybean crops, such as glyphosate.

References

• "Soybean: Growth and Management;" North Dakota State University; 1999
• "Manage Soybean 'By the Numbers' for Higher Yield;" Mark E. Westgate; 2003
• University of Wisconson: A View from Down Under: Soybean Canopy
• Iowa State University: Integrated Crop Management: Insecticide Treatments