Yield Numbers

We have some preliminary yield numbers on a few of the fields in the program. There will be many more details and an economic analysis in the official publication, but here are some initial numbers:

Field A

UK

Planting Date: June 3

Seeding Rate: 120,000

Plant Stand: 97,000

Pods per 10’ of row: 1720

Herbicide: Glyphosate; Glyphosate + Select

Insectidide: None

Fungicide: None

Yield: 73.8 bu/a

Farmer Practice

Planting Date: June 3

Seeding Rate: 140,000

Plant Stand: 114,800

Pods per 10’ of row: 1550

Herbicide: Glyphosate; Glyphosate + Select

Insecticide: Warrior

Fungicide: Stratego

Yield: 74.4 bu/a

Field B

UK

Planting Date: June 25

Seeding Rate: 140,000

Plant Stand: 112,700

Pods per 10’ of row: 1312

Herbicide: Extreme

Yield: 46.2 bu/a

Farmer Practice

Planting Date: June 25

Seeding Rate: 176,000

Plant Stand: 126,800

Pods per 10’ of row: 1406

Herbicide: Extreme

Yield: 44.7 bu/a

Field C

UK

Planting Date: June 25

Seeding Rate: 140,000

Plant Stand: 99,900

Pods per 10’ of row: 1164

Herbicide: Extreme

Yield: 40.1 bu/a

Farmer Practice

Planting Date: June 25

Seeding Rate: 176,000

Plant Stand: 122,700

Pods per 10’ of row: 1406

Herbicide: Extreme

Yield: 40.5 bu/a

Harvest continues

* Today, we will harvest two more fields, leaving only one yet to be cut.

* We have definitely been blessed with the driest period so far this year. Combines have been running day and night over the past couple of weeks. This has been an odd weather year to say the least.

* Although it was hard to get beans in the ground, and up until a couple of weeks ago it was hard to get them out, yield data is looking very encouraging.

* Considering the conditions, I'm interested to see fungicide test results from this year. Preliminarily, we are seeing no differences in our SoyMVP plots for treated v. untreated.

Harvesting

We are finally in the field harvesting soybeans!

All of our fields are ready to go but the weather won't cooperate. It's raining again today but looks like it will be nice toward the end of this week and the beginning of next week.

I'll post some preliminary numbers as soon as they are available.

Cercopora Leaf Blight in Soybean

Nearly all soybean fields in the area are reaching R7 and beyond, where leaves are yellowing and dropping to the ground. While some fields are progressing normally, a large number may have areas that appear to be maturing at a much faster pace. These areas may, in fact, be infected with the Cercospora kikuchii pathogen. Cercospora Leaf Blight is appearing at a very high level this year in the state, as the abundance of rain and heavy morning dew and fog we have been seeing make the presence of the disease more likely.

The blight usually appears first in the upper leaves of the soybean canopy. A bronzing of the leaves occurs, which appears like the natural soybean maturation process. Premature defoliation can of course be detrimental if it occurs prior to seed-fill. The fungus can also cause other problems in soybean. One of those is purple seed stain, which doesn't adversely affect yield, but may cause issues at the market.

Photos from the field

Deer bedding area in Graves County

Nearing harvest in Hickman County

Early morning fog in Muhlenberg County

Crop Update

We are winding down on the 2009 growing season for SoyMVP. Two of our fields are at R7 and are quickly drying down, while the others are at early to late R6. I am anxious to get the yield data and start seeing what worked and what didn't. Although we have hit a few bumps this year (namely wet conditions during planting), we have some really nice comparisons with populations, fertility, and pesticide programs that will be very beneficial.

The growing season is only the first step in the program, as we feel the way the results are reported is just as important. Reporting on that will get started immediately after the numbers are in.

**If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in SoyMVP in 2010, please contact me at jmsarv2@uky.edu or at the UKREC in Princeton at 270-365-7541 ext. 263, or contact your county extension agent.

Norman Borlaug

Norman Borlaug, an immortal in the field of agriculture, has passed away. Borlaug is credited with saving more lives than anyone in human history. His vision was that no person has to go to bed hungry and he spent his life's work proving that.

Norman Borlaug

Pod numbers

I'm getting some interesting results from pod number counts across populations. Pod numbers, and more precisely seed numbers, along with seed size make up the equation that determines seed yield. The following numbers are examples of what I have seen so far in locations where our recommended seeding rates were different than those rates that were utilized by the producer.


Location 1

Producer

Seeding Rate: 140,000
Plant Stand: 116,800
Pods per 10' sample: 1,648
Pods per plant: 49


University

Seeding Rate: 120,000
Plant Stand: 91,200
Pods per 10' sample: 1,428
Pods per plant: 55


Location 2

Producer

Seeding Rate: 150,000
Plant Stand: 114,800
Pods per 10' sample: 1,540
Pods per plant: 47


University

Seeding Rate: 120,000
Plant Stand: 96,840
Pods per 10' sample: 1,720
Pods per plant: 62


Location 3

Producer

Seeding Rate: 169,000
Plant Stand: 122,700
Pods per 10' sample: 1406
Pods per plant: 40


University 1

Seeding Rate: 140,000
Plant Stand: 112,740
Pods per 10' sample: 1300
Pods per plant: 40

University 2

Seeding Rate: 140,000
Plant Stand: 99,900
Pods per 10' sample: 1164
Pods per plant: 41

Again, pod numbers are only part of the equation that goes into making yield. It will be very interesting to see the results from seed weights and of course yield. This will help us to further our knowledge as to how and why soybean plants compensate for lower plant populations and what the limiting factors are for yield.

SoyMVP Crop Update

SoyMVP fields currently range from the R3 to R5 growth stage. SDS does not appear that it's going to be as serious of a problem as I originally expected it to be. It showed up quickly but never progressed like I thought it would. There is no more than 10% severity in any of the fields in our program, although I have seen it at much higher rates when traveling through the state.

I am currently getting pod counts on all of our fields to compare numbers across populations on a pod per plant and a pod per unit area basis. I am coming up with some interesting numbers, which I will expand upon here on the blog once I get counts completed in all fields.

Kentucky Soybean Quality and Yield Contest

Information about the soybean yield and quality contests in the state of Kentucky can be found here. The contest is put on by the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board and the Kentucky Soybean Association.

2010 Crop Season

Anyone with interest in participating in SoyMVP for the 2010 growing season, please contact me via email or phone. We received a great deal of interest at Field Day and I've talked to several agents who had cooperators in mind. We would love to keep the cooperators we have now and add a few more for next year.

Jason Sarver
jmsarv2@uky.edu
859-317-3142
270-365-7541 ext. 263

Sudden Death Syndrome

I am starting to see several instances of Sudden Death Syndrome in soybean fields across this part of the state.

According to Dr. Don Hershman, excessive soil moisture and a very cool July, SDS is as widespread and severe as it's been in 20 years.

All fields in the program are between R2 and R4 at the present time, so premature defoliation resulting from SDS could lead to significant yield losses, depending on the incidence within the field.

Soy Use Spotlight: Ford Using Soy Foam in Seat Cushions

Since 2007, Ford has been experimenting with formulations of soy foam as a replacement for petroleum based foam. Ford Motor Company is currently using a formulation of 40% soy foam in several of their most popular models, including the F-150, Expedition, Escape, and Focus.

Ford expects the use of soy to reduce petroleum usage by 1 million pounds and carbon emissions by 5 million pounds annually. Soy foam results in only 1/4 of the environmental impact as petroleum based foams. The company is also looking at other applications for soy, including soy flour and soy meal in floor mats and door seals, as well as soy based headliner padding.

Ford estimates that it may be able to use up to 844 million bushels of soybeans in it's product line annually.

autobloggreen.com

Ford has a long history of utilizing soybeans, dating all the way back to the model T, with each vehicle containing a bushel of soybeans as paint and plastic. Henry Ford's soybean car can be found here.

www.thehenryford.org

http://www.eponline.com/Articles/2009/07/30/Ford-Wins-another-Award-for-Soybased-Foam-for-Seats.aspx
http://green.autoblog.com/2007/12/17/ford-licensing-its-soy-foam-seat-technology/

Lodging in Soybean

One aspect of the plant population debate that is sometimes overlooked is the higher propensity of soybean plants to lodge at increased populations. Lodging has been shown to reduce yields by as much as 22%, not including the inherent harvesting problems that come with lodged plants (Noor and Caviness, 1980) Higher plant populations generally lead to taller plants with thinner stems than would be found at reduced populations in the same environment. Plants that are taller and which have thinner stems are more likely to lodge than shorter, thicker-stemmed plants (Cooper, 1981; Mancuso and Caviness, 1991).

This year, heavy rains throughout the season have lead to crops with a high yield potential, but this heavy rain combined with strong winds can lead to lodging in tall soybean plants (Board, 2001).

Lodged plants in Farmer Practice side of SoyMVP Field, August 5, 2009.

Lodged plants in Farmer Practice side of SoyMVP Field, August 5, 2009.

Lodged plants in Farmer Practice side of SoyMVP Field, August 5, 2009.

Dectes stem borer (Dectes texanus texanus) may also be to blame when lodged plants are found. Larvae overwinter in stems and adults emerge in June. Adults lay eggs throughout July and August. Larvae tunnel through stems in August and September. Larvae girdle the interior stem surface, making the plant weak at the point, where they can break off. A great deal of information about the Dectes Stem Borer can be found here. Images of Dectes Stem Borer can be found here.

References

-Board, J. 2001. Reduced lodging for soybean in low plant population is related to light quality. Crop Sci. 41:379-384
-Cooper, R.L. 1981. Development of short-statured soybean cultivars. Crop Sci. 21:127–131.
-Mancuso, N., and C.E. Caviness. 1991. Association of selected plant traits with lodging of four determinate soybean cultivars. Crop Sci. 31:911–914.
-Noor, R.B.M., and C.E. Caviness. 1980. Influence of induced lodging on pod distribution and seed yield in soybeans. Agron. J. 72:904–906.