2020
Determining Suitable Planting Date and Soil Temperature for Enhanced Growth and Yield of Soybean Under No-till Semi-arid Condition
Contributor/Checkoff:
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Nutrient managementSoil healthTillageYield trials
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Gautam Pradhan, North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center
Co-Principal Investigators:
Jerry Bergman, North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center
James Staricka, North Dakota State University-Williston Research Extension Center
+1 More
Project Code:
QSSB
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Brief Project Summary:

Planting date plays a significant role in crop production. There is a need for determining optimal soybean planting dates and soil temperature for the western part of North Dakota that provides optimum growing period, decreases chances of frost and/or drought damage, and enhances grain yield. This project will continue to collect data for outcomes of multiple years of study. This project will enable us to provide pertinent information to producers in western North Dakota on an optimal planting date and soil temperature to increase soybean yield, quality, and secure a profitable future.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension specialists

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

Final Project Results

Update:

View uploaded report Word file

Determining suitable planting date and soil temperature for enhanced growth and yield of soybean under no-till semi-arid condition
(Executive summary – 2019/20)
Gautam Pradhan*, Jerald Bergman, and James Staricka
NDSU Williston Research Extension Center, Williston, ND 58001
*Corresponding author: gautam.pradhan@ndsu.edu

Research Conducted
Two glyphosate tolerant soybean varieties were seeded at Williston Research Extension Center, Williston, ND maintaining a row to row distance of seven inches. The treatments comprised of seven planting dates (pd: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th of May, and 6th and 13th of June 2019) as main plots; two varieties (v: ‘ND17009GT’ and ‘ND18008GT’) as subplots, and two seed treatments (st: Treated with fungicide Obvious @ 6.4 oz/100 lb seed and untreated as control) as sub-sub plots. The soil temperature data at 4” depth was downloaded from NADWN weather station located 715 feet southeast of the experimental field. At maturity, biomass was collected and soybean was harvested using a plot combine.

Why the research is important to ND soybean farmers
Soybean acreage has been steadily increasing in ND, including the western part of the state, which has an exceptionally drier climate than the eastern part. There is a lack of a soybean production management guidelines suitable for no-till dryland soybean producers of western ND. Determination of suitable seeding date and soil temperature is crucial to avoid abiotic and biotic stress and to have a sustainable higher soybean yield and the farm income under no-till dryland conditions.

Final findings of the research
There was a significant effect of planting dates on above ground biomass, grain yield, grain protein, grain oil, and test weight (Table 1), and varieties responded differentially to planting dates for grain yield and test weight (Figure 1). when averaged across seed treatment, ND18008GT consistently yielded higher when planted in May compared to June planting and ND17009GT produced higher yield when planted in June than in May (Figure 1a). There was an exception that ND17009GT planted on May 9th produced as similar yield as of June planting. Between varieties, May planted ND18008GT had a higher yield than May planted ND17009GT except that there was no statistical difference in yield between two varieties planted on May 9th. Regarding test weight, the May planting was better than June planting; and May planted ND17009GT had a higher test weight than May planted ND18008GT (Figure 1b)

Benefits/Recommendations to North Dakota soybean farmers and industry
The outcomes of this project showed that variety ND18008GT may be planted up to June 6th to avoid 9 bu/ac of yield loss if planting is delayed to June 13th; whereas ND17009GT shall be planted in June than in May to avoid similar loss.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.