Soybean School: Stick with adapted varieties for higher yield

Every year soybean growers make seed choices based on a host of factors. One of the key decisions is whether to plant long-season varieties, full-season varieties or choose a shorter-season variety.

Many growers target longer-season varieties and an early planting date to try to optimize yield potential and put more bushels in the bin, but does this strategy really work? That’s a question University of Guelph research scientist Dr. Dave Hooker tackled at the 2024 Ontario Agricultural Conference.

On this episode of RealAgriculture's Soybean School, Hooker looks at data from multiple sites across Ontario to determine how planting date and variety maturity impact yield. When all the data is tabulated, planting a full season or 'adapted' variety is a clear winner, regardless whether the crop is planted in April, May or June.

In the April planting period, for example, the full-season varieties yielded an average 72.7 bu/ac; long-season varieties produced 69.2 bu/ac and short-season trailed at 64.5.

In the video, Hooker digs into the characteristics that make up an adapted variety and how these can help varieties more consistently produce high yields. He also discusses how longer-season varieties have greater yield potential, and why planting them in cool April conditions introduces an element of risk that can compromise yield.
#farming #soybeans #planting #ontag

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