Agriculture Online
12-19-07
In the year-end rush to buy soybean seed, keep key factors in mind
If you are rushing to place your seed order before the end of the year, but are still
puzzling over the wide variety of options available, here are a few tips to guide
you in choosing the best soybean seed for next year's bumper crop.
The first step in maximizing profit per acre is choosing the varieties for your farm
that will increase your overall productivity, according to an Iowa Soybean
Association (ISA) report. Start by looking to university research trials and others
that can offer a glimpse into recent production history under different growing
conditions.
"To minimize risk when selecting a variety it is important to get yield data from
replicated trials and from numerous locations," according to Palle Pedersen,
Iowa State University Extension agronomist. "That will help identify a stable,
high yielding variety."
In addition, it's important to factor in the disease pressures you may be facing
with next year's crop.
"Growers must develop a portfolio of high yielding soybean varieties that address
the pathogens in their fields."ISA research director David Wright. "A high
percentage of those varieties should have defensive traits such as resistance to
soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and sudden death syndrome (SDS). It's important
to match the agronomics of soybean varieties with the challenges you face on
your farm."
A recent survey conducted by Iowa State University found that more than 70% of
Iowa fields tested positive for soybean cyst nematode, the nation's largest yieldrobber. Sudden death syndrome isn't quite as severe, but it is catching up
quickly.
Wright suggests that in Iowa, the top four traits to look for when selecting
soybean seed are:
1. High yield potential
2. Yield stability across environments
3. Effective resistance to SCN
4. Field tolerance to sudden death syndrome
Wright recommends that growers strongly consider insecticide seed treatment
when planting early to control bean leaf beetle. The surest way to find out how
soybean varieties will yield on your farm, he says, is to give them a test run.
"Test your top five choices on your farm in strip or small field trials," he says. "It's
important to remember that effective performance against diseases like SCN,
sudden death syndrome, frogeye leaf spot and brown stem rot vary from variety
to variety. These diseases, when left uncontrolled, typically rob producers of five
to 10 bushels per acre. On-farm testing is the surest way to evaluate varieties
against these diseases."