Steve D. Ruhl, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent
Planting soybeans early helps to spread out the spring workload for producers. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of early planting on yields of no-till soybeans.
| Cooperator: | Tom Weiler | Soil Test: | pH 6.3 |
| County: | Morrow | P 36 ppm | |
| Nearest Town: | Chesterville | K 159ppm | |
| Drainage: | Naturally well-drained | Fertilizer: | None |
| Soil Type: | Chili loam | Planting Rate: | 210,540 seeds/A |
| Tillage: | No-till | Row Width: | 10 inch |
| Previous Crop: | Corn | Harvest Date: | October 19, 2001 |
| Variety: | LG Seeds C3767RR | Herbicides: | |
| PRE | Canopy (3 oz./A) | ||
| POST | Roundup Ultra (1 qt./A) | ||
| plus AMS |
Rains in April and May prevented the intended planting date schedule that was at two-week intervals. Four dates (March 29, April 26, May 11, and June 10) were used in 2001. Each planting date was replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Planting was done with a 750 JD No-Till Drill. Each plot was 30-feet wide and approximately 750 feet long. The center 20 feet of each plot was harvested and weighed with a weigh wagon.
| Table 1. Four Years of Soybean Yields From Early Planting Date Trials.1 | |||||||
| 1998 Planting Date |
Yield (bu/A) |
1999 Planting Date |
Yield (bu/A) |
2000 Planting Date |
Yield (bu/A) |
2001 Planting Date |
Yield (bu/A) |
| March 30 | 51.9 a | March 29 | 42.6 a | March 29 | 45.3 | ||
| April 13 | 48.6 b | April 14 | 41.6 a | April 6 | 41.0 ab | April 26 | 47.8 |
| April 24 | 47.9 b | April 27 | 41.6 a | April 26 | 42.5 a | May 11 | 48.0 |
| May 13 | 49.2 b | May 7 | 37.6 b | May 8 | 39.1 b | June 10 | 45.2 |
| LSD (0.05) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | NS | |||
| F | 6.6 | 12.1 | 5.5 | 3.1 | |||
| CV (%) | 2.4 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | |||
| 1 Means in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different. | |||||||
For 2001 the date of planting did not have a significant effect on yields in this study.
This is the fourth year the early planting dates of late March/April have provided favorable results. We have selected well-drained fields and used a soybean with a good, protective seed treatment each year. Each of the four years the trial was conducted on Chili loam. Experiment design and inputs were practically the same all four years. The largest difference among years was that a different variety was used: 1998 Callahan 7391RR, 1999 Callahan 8367RR, 2000 Callahan 8367RR, and 2001 LG Seeds C3767RR.
The results appear to support the idea that soybeans can be planted early. This expands the days available for spring planting activities, thus helping to avoid late plantings.
Thanks to Royster Clark and LG Seeds for providing the soybeans used in this study. Also thanks to Tom Weiler for being the cooperator.
For additional information, contact:
Steve Ruhl
Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County
871 W. Marion Rd., Suite 102
Mt. Gilead, OH 43338
419-947-1070
ruhl1@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu