What is a good soybean yield per acre?

With record high yields in 21 states, the average soybean yield is estimated at 51.4 bushels per acre, 0.4 bushel above 2020 and the second highest on record.

What affects soybean yield?

“A soybean producer’s job is to use the big three factors that produce yield — light, water and nutrients,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. “How you capture and manage each factor affects the three components of yield: pods per acre, beans per pod and the size of the beans.

When should I fertilize soybeans?

Soybean grown on soils with a pH of 8.0 or greater is more likely to respond to an application of P directly ahead of the soybean crop. If phosphate is recommended and applied to soybean for fields having a pH of 7.4 or higher, the fertilizer should be applied in the spring before planting.

How many nodes should soybeans have?

Soybean plants are on average 3 to 5 feet tall and can have up to 20 nodes. The plant has the ability to produce 600 pods per plant, but on average there are 50 to 100 pods per plant that set seed.

What is a good soybean yield?

USDA is projecting the 2021 U.S. average soybean yield at 50 bushels per acre, which is just below the 2020 national average yield of 50.2 bushels per acre.

Can you plant soybeans every year?

With soybean prices now, (continuous) soybeans is a no-brainer for some farmers. “If you stay on top of management, you can grow a heck of a soybean crop year after year,” he added.

Is potash good for soybeans?

Answer: Soybeans are big users of potash. A 60 bu/A soybean crop removes 87 lbs K20 which is equal to 145 lbs potash (0-0-60) per acre. A 200 bu/A corn crop removes 58 lbs K20 which is equal to 97 lbs of potash. So yes, soybeans need potash as well as does corn.

How do you get high yield beans?

Early planting is the way to do it. “Early planting not only intercepts more light, but also stretches out the reproductive period,” says Van Roekel. This spurs more pods and, ultimately, higher yields. Planting full-season varieties can boost early-planting benefits.

What triggers soybean flowering?

Soybean development is impacted by temperature and night length: Before flowering, temperature drives vegetative growth and later night length drives flowering. After flowering begins, temperature drives growth through pod development—the warmer the summer, the faster the plant develops.

What is the best pH for soybeans?

from 5.8 to 6.2
The optimum pH for soybeans on sandy and clay-textured soils ranges from 5.8 to 6.2. Yields on mineral soils decline as soil pH decreases below pH 5.5. For organic soils, optimum soybean yields can be achieved at pH 5.0.

Should I fertilize soybeans?

Soybean is able to fix most of the N it needs through its symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria. It also takes up residual and mineralized N from the soil. Traditionally, soybean has been grown successfully without addition of N fertilizer.

How to grow high-yield soybeans?

5 Steps to Grow High-Yield Soybeans 1 Drainage. “My soils are black, tight, and deep Muscatine-Sable type of soils,” he says. 2 Variety selection. “When I look at variety selection, the most important thing to me is plant health,” he says. 3 Early planting. 4 Supply nitrogen. 5 Weed management.

How high can soybeans grow in a contest?

In 2016, Arkels estimated he had 130-bushel-per-acre soybean contest yields on the way, with lush 5- to 6-foot-high soybeans soaking up sunlight. However, a straight-line summer wind lodged them.

How can we make soybeans shorter?

Ideally, Arkels would like a bushier bean plant, rather than one that grows so tall. He’s been working with a company called Biovante that’s testing a foliar growth regulator aimed at making soybeans shorter and pushing internodes closer together.

Is intensive Soybean management a good idea?

Intensive soybean management has drawbacks. “Steps taken to increase yields (such as using high fertility and plant hormones) create a lot of growth that makes soybeans prone to lodging,” says Arkels. In 2016, Arkels estimated he had 130-bushel-per-acre soybean contest yields on the way, with lush 5- to 6-foot-high soybeans soaking up sunlight.