Lincoln, Nebraska
April 27, 2009
Source:
Crop Watch News Srvice,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Based on three years of University
of Nebraska-Lincoln on-farm research, specialists found that
reducing soybean planting population can save growers money.
UNL specialists recommend reducing planting populations from an
average of 160,000 seeds per acre to 120,000 seeds per acre in
30-inch rows. This reduction of 40,000 seeds per acre results in
savings of $10.66 to $18.57 per acre based on seed costs of $40
to $65 a bag, said Jennifer Rees, UNL Extension educator in Clay
County.
This and other cost saving tips to help deal with high input
costs in crop production can be found at UNL's Surviving High
Input Costs in Crop Production Web page at
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/survivinghighinputcosts.htm.
"For three years, producers were able to achieve a 90 percent
stand and have not seen a statistical yield variance from
150,000 or even 180,000 seeds per acre," Rees said. This on-farm
research was a part of the Greater Quad County On-Farm Research
group.
"With increasing input costs, many producers are evaluating
every decision they make," Rees said. "These producers wondered
if they could reduce soybean populations while maintaining yield
and saving money."
On-farm research conducted in field scale, randomized and
replicated plots in farmer fields and at the South Central
Agricultural Laboratory near Clay Center from 2006-2008 proved
they could, Rees said.
"With soybean seed costs increasing, reducing soybean planting
populations is another way producers can survive high input
costs of crop production," she said.
UNL on-farm research also found that added inoculants often
prove to be unnecessary. UNL research conducted from 2001-2004
at the South Central Agricultural Laboratory near Clay Center
and by the Greater Quad County On-farm Research and Nebraska
Soybean Feed Grains Profitability Project all showed that adding
soybean inoculant did not significantly increase yields on
fields with a history of soybeans.
Inoculating soybeans with products containing the bacterium
Bradyrhizobia japonicum is a common practice and considered an
inexpensive insurance against soybean yield loss. The bacterium
forms a symbiotic or beneficial relationship with soybean roots
in which nitrogen-producing nodules are formed, allowing for
nitrogen fixation to occur.
"As producers strive to find a silver bullet to significantly
enhance soybean yields, they may look to one of the soybean
inoculant or combined inoculant and growth promoter products new
to the market," Rees said. Not adding an inoculant results in an
estimated $1.50 of added profit per acre.
However, if the field has not produced soybeans in the past four
or five years or has never produced soybeans, an inoculant is
needed for nitrogen fixation to occur.
To determine if your field needs re-inoculation, consult UNL
Extension NebGuide G1622, Applying the Facts to Your Fields. For
more on-farm research information or to get involved with
on-farm research, visit the UNL Farm Research Web site at
http://farmresearch.unl.edu.
More information about soybean planting populations and
inoculants can be found on UNL's Surviving High Input Costs Web
site at
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/survivinghighinputcosts.htm or at
CropWatch, UNL Extension's crop production newsletter, at
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/. |
|