Challenges of early soybean planting
Aug 27, 2010
Dr. Palle Pedersen
Spring 2010 got off to a better start than in 2009. But a wet late-May and early-June created some problems, especially for soybean planting.
Did you get your soybeans planted early? Research shows that can help increase yield, but you need to be aware of some challenges to early planting:
• Stand establishment
• Bean leaf beetles (vectors of bean pod mottle virus)
• Seedling diseases
• Late spring frost – planting earlier than recommended
• Crusting
• Sudden death syndrome
• Soybean seedling diseases causing seedling blight
• Pythium damping-off and root rot
• Phytophthora root rot
• Rhizoctonia root rot (Rhizoctonia solani)
• Fusarium spp.
Or, did rain keep you from planting (or replanting) your soybeans until later than average? Although later-planted soybean crops avoid some of the challenges listed above, damp conditions during germination can translate to high disease potential. You want to see these plants grow vigorously to make up for lost time. Some seed treatments can enhance plant growth.
So which timeframe did you fall into this year?
