Wisconsin soybean farmers should consider seed genetics, potassium and a pre-emergent weed program when making seed and input purchases for 2014. That's according to Wisconsin State Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist Shawn Conley, who says the variability in weather can play a major role in determining the level of soybean insect, weed and disease pressure.
"Wisconsin soybean farmers face many unique challenges during the growing season, most notably the impact of the weather on planting, growing and harvest conditions," Conley says. "Making timely decisions during the crop season can be the key to maximizing yields."
He said variety selection can be the most important factor in maximizing soybean yields. Soybean farmers need to compare variety performance results from multiple sources, locations and environments.
"One common mistake can be only looking at local data," said Conley. "Local data, while interesting, only provide a glimpse at how well that soybean variety performed last year in a narrow area. Comparing variety performance over many different environments and factors will offer farmers the best predictive ability for next year's environment."
Conley recommends planting multiple soybean varieties to diversify plant genetics. This may be a good strategy in lowering risks of yield loss due to stress factors. Pay attention to maturity groups because later-maturity group soybeans often lead to increased yield; however, timeliness of harvest and frost must be considered.
Once a group of high-yielding soybean varieties has been selected, the next decision is choosing varieties that meet specific disease, insect and weed resistance/tolerance characteristics keeping specific fields in mind.
