Best Practices for Maximizing Yield in Late-Planted Soybeans

There are probably many reasons why you’re late with your soybean planting. Wet springs, broken down equipment or illness can all keep you from planting at the optimal time. Or maybe you’re in an area where you’re trying to double crop, and late-planting soybeans is your only option.

Regardless of the reason, there’s still an opportunity for a successful soybean growing season even if your soybean planting window is less than ideal.

While the question “how late can you plant soybeans?” may be top of mind, the real question to ask is how much yield you can protect. If you plant outside the optimal window, you’ll typically give up half a bushel of yield for every day that passes between the closing of that window and getting your seeds into the ground. That means that if you let a weekend go by after that window closes, you could potentially be losing 1.5 bushels an acre.¹

Fortunately, if you make some adjustments outside the standard practices, you can make the most out of a rough situation.

Row spacing and seed rate for soybean planting

Because late-planted soybeans have a shorter window to grow, they produce significantly fewer nodes, dropping from an average of 19–25 nodes when planted earlier in the season to just 13–16 nodes a month later.² This can significantly impact soybean yield per plant.

To compensate for that loss, increasing the seed rate by 10% can result in a target population between 150,000 and 175,000 plants per acre, depending on your seed type.³

Additionally, to close your canopy faster, consider narrower spacing. Shifting from 30” spacing to 7.5” or 15” rows can also increase season-long light interception, suppress weeds more effectively, and potentially improve biomass and, subsequently, final yield.⁴

(Oticki)

Planting in ideal conditions

When you’re late-planting soybeans, you may tend to plant even when soil conditions are poor. Late planting usually means you are planting into warmer soils, but if you do plant into cool or wet soil, this will lead to lower germination rates and increase the risk of fungal diseases. Cutting through wet, heavy soils can also cause smearing along the sidewall, compacting the soil and making it difficult for roots to penetrate. Planting at a depth of 1.5” inches when the soil is 60-70 F is ideal.⁵

Shorter seed maturity

Soybeans are photoperiod-sensitive, meaning they flower in response to day length. This works in your favor, as late-planted beans will require fewer days to reach maturity than beans planted earlier. Because of this, research suggests you can typically stick with your adapted, full-season varieties through mid-June with little effect on necessary soybean maturity days.

However, if soybean planting pushes past June 15, switching to a variety with a 0.5 to 1.0 shorter Maturity Group (MG) can protect your yield. This ensures the crop reaches physiological maturity before the first killing frost of autumn. While shorter-maturity seeds may have a slightly lower yield ceiling, they protect you from the catastrophic risk of a freeze hitting the plants before they are mature.⁶

While a late start isn’t an automatic loss for your growing season, it will require some consideration and planning for better yields. It’s best to stay patient when conditions are right, but then move fast once that window opens.

Experts are available to help you understand when to plant soybeans and make the most of your late-season soybeans. Reach out to your seed retailer, a nearby extension office agent or a seed company professional like your regional BASF representative.

________________________________________________

Endnotes

1. Plumblee, Michael. “Double Crop Soybeans: When Is Too Late?” SC Crops, Clemson University Cooperative Extension, 8 Aug. 2025, blogs.clemson.edu/sccrops/double-crop-soybeans-when-is-too-late/.
2. Sullivan, Tina, and Logan Simon. “Considerations for Replanting or Late-Planting of Soybeans.” Agronomy eUpdate, no. 1057, Kansas State University Department of Agronomy, 12 June 2025, eupdate.agronomy.ksu.edu/article/considerations-for-replanting-or-late-planting-of-soybeans-646-2.
3. Lindsey, Laura, and Eric Richer. “Double Crop Soybean (or Late-Planted Soybean) Considerations for 2025.” C.O.R.N. Newsletter, no. 2025-19, Ohio State University Extension, 2025, agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2025-19/double-crop-soybean-or-late-planted-soybean-considerations-2025.
4. Sullivan and Simon. “Considerations for Replanting or Late-Planting of Soybeans.”
5. Naeve, Seth L., and Dave Nicolai. “Delayed Soybean Planting.” University of Minnesota Extension, 2018, extension.umn.edu/soybean-planting/delayed-soybean-planting.
6. Nygren, Aaron, Jim Specht, and Jenny Brhel. “Strategies with Delayed Soybean Planting.” CropWatch, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 24 May 2024, cropwatch.unl.edu/2019/strategies-delayed-soybean-planting/.