What Are the Benefits of Early Planting for Soybeans?
What Are the Benefits of Early Planting for Soybeans?
Discover how early planting can increase yield potential.
2021
2021 Trial Goals
As a result of widespread adoption of treated soybean seed, many farmers now plant soybeans earlier than ever before. In fact, Illinois farmers had 41% of their soybean crop planted by May 2, 2021, compared to the previous five-year average of 14%.1
The study presented below was conducted in order to understand the yield impact of planting soybeans at different dates along with the agronomic characteristics that enable early planted soybeans to have higher yield potential.
The main factor behind the yield potential increase in early planted soybeans is the ability for the plants to create more nodes before flowering.2 To better understand this interaction, we measured the number of nodes created and days to flowering.
Research Site Details
- This research was conducted at the Crop Science division of Bayer FOCUS sites in Illinois counties Kendall, Piatt, Sangamon and Woodford from 2018-2021.
- Five soybean products, ranging in relative maturity (RM) from 2.6 to 3.6 were evaluated, although not all products were planted at every location or in every year.
- All seed was treated with Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions STANDARD and ILeVO® seed treatment.
- Standard fertility and weed management practices were followed, and plots were harvested as they matured.
| Location | Soil Type | Previous Crop | Tillage Type | Planting Date | Harvest Date | Potential Yield (bu/acre) | Seeding Rate (seeds/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/25/18, 5/8/18, 5/23/18 | 9/24/18, 10/4/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Auburn, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 5/2/18, 5/22/18 | 9/29/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Monticello, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 5/1/18, 5/14/18, 6/1/18 | 10/23/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Roanoke, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/9/19, 4/23/19, 5/7/19, 5/18/19, 6/3/19, 6/18/19 | 10/9/19, 10/23/19 | 70 | 140k |
| Roanoke, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 3/7/20, 4/6/20, 4/20/20, 5/9/20, 6/1/20, 6/15/20 | 10/7/20, 10/15/20 | 70 | 140k |
| Monticello, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/8/20, 4/23/20 | 10/6/20 | 70 | 140k |
| Newark, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/8/20, 4/23/20, 5/8/20, 5/29/20 | 10/15/20 | 65 | 115k |
| Roanoke, IL | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 3/10/21, 4/6/21, 4/19/21, 5/3/21, 5/14/21, 5/24/21, 6/7/21, 6/15/21 | 10/18/21 | 75 | 100k, 120k, 140k |
Breaking Down the Results
- To compare data across years, results are presented as a percentage of the maximum yield for the year, location and product. The highest yields are attained from earlier planting, with a steady decline as the season progresses (Figure 1).
- Although it is possible for later-planted soybeans to attain satisfactory yield, there is a much greater yield variation than in fields that are planted earlier (Figure 1).
- Stand reduction can occur in early planting situations (Figure 2), but as shown in this research, the earlier plantings can have greater yield potential than later ones, even with lower final populations.
- Flowering date in soybeans is influenced by daylength and is often assumed to occur on a specific date regardless of planting date, but multiple factors combine to influence the actual date at which flowering occurs.3 Figure 3 illustrates that the period between planting and flowering is greatly reduced when planting later.
- The earlier soybeans are planted, the more time they have to grow vegetatively and create nodes that are the foundation for maximizing yield potential (Figure 4).
2020
2020 Trial Goals
- Largely due to the widespread adoption of treated soybean seed, farmers now plant soybeans increasingly earlier than ever before. For example, Illinois farmers had 31% of their soybean crop planted by May 3, 2020, compared to the previous five-year average of 12%.1
- This research was conducted with a goal of understanding not only the yield impact of planting soybeans at different dates but also the agronomic characteristics that enable early planted soybeans to have higher yield potential.
- The main driver of a yield potential increase in early planted soybeans is the ability for the plants to create more nodes before flowering.2 We measured the number of nodes created and days to flowering to better understand this interaction.
Research Site Details
| Location | Soil Type | Previous Crop | Tillage Type | Planting Date | Harvest Date | Potential Yield (bu/acre) | Seeding Rate (seeds/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke, IL (Woodford County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/25/18, 5/8/18, 5/23/18 | 9/24/18, 10/4/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Auburn, IL (Sangamon County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 5/2/18, 5/22/18 | 9/29/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Monticello, IL (Piatt County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 5/1/18, 5/14/18, 6/1/18 | 10/23/18 | 70 | 140k |
| Roanoke, IL (Woodford County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/9/19, 4/23/19, 5/7/19, 5/18/19, 6/3/19, 6/18/19 | 10/9/19, 10/23/19 | 70 | 140k |
| Roanoke, IL (Woodford County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 3/7/20, 4/6/20, 4/20/20, 5/9/20, 6/1/20, 6/15/20 | 10/7/20, 10/15/20 | 70 | 140k |
| Monticello, IL (Piatt County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/8/20, 4/23/20 | 10/6/20 | 70 | 140k |
| Newark, IL (Kendall County) | Silt loam | Corn | Conventional | 4/8/20, 4/23/20, 5/8/20, 5/29/20 | 10/15/20 | 65 | 115k |
- This research was conducted at Crop Science division of Bayer FOCUS sites in four Illinois counties: Kendall, Piatt, Sangamon and Woodford from 2018 through 2020.
- Four soybean products, ranging in maturity group (MG) 2.6 to 3.6, were evaluated, although not all products were planted at every location or in every year.
- All seeds were treated with Acceleron® STANDARD and ILeVO® seed treatment.
- Standard fertility and weed management practices were followed, and plots were harvested as they matured.
Breaking Down the Results
- To compare data across years, results are presented as a percentage of the maximum for the year, location and variety. The highest average yields are attained from earlier planting, with a steady decline as the season goes on (Figure 1).
- Although it is possible for later-planted soybeans to attain satisfactory yield, there is a much greater yield variation than in fields that are planted earlier.
- Flowering date in soybeans is influenced by daylength and is often assumed to occur on a specific date regardless of planting date, but multiple factors combine to influence the actual date at which flowering occurs.3 Figure 2 illustrates that the period between planting and flowering is greatly reduced when planting later.
- The earlier soybeans are planted, the more time they have to grow vegetatively and create nodes, which are the foundation for yield potential (Figure 3).
