It has been well established that planting soybean early will generally result in the greatest yield potential. However, in recent years the question has become “How early is too early?” In addition, if very early planting dates occur “Should management practices be changed for these very early planting dates?”
The specific objectives of this study are to:
1) Determine when the plant canopy closes and seed yield and quality of early-planted soybean
2) Determine when the plant canopy closes and seed yield and quality of soybean that receive broadcast sulfur and nitrogen after planting, but before seedling emergence
3) Determine which soybean relative maturity groups maximize seed yield and profitability when planted early.
The successful completion of this project will assist with identifying ways that soybeans can be produced at a reduced cost and ultimately increased profitability.

The specific objectives of this study are to: 1) Determine when the plant canopy closes and seed yield and quality of early-planted soybean 2) Determine when the plant canopy closes and seed yield and quality of soybean that receive broadcast sulfur and nitrogen after planting, but before seedling emergence 3) Determine which soybean relative maturity groups maximize seed yield and profitability when planted early.

Identification of agronomic management strategies that maximize profitable soybean production when planted early in the season.

On December 10th, 2021, UKREC sustained a direct hit from an EF4 tornado with 190 MPH wind speeds. All 2021 soybean samples that were collected for quality and pod count data were lost or destroyed along with electronic canopy closure data. Equipment was not available to plant the earliest planting in March. We will not be able to conclude the project in 2022.

The specific benefit of this project would be to identify methods that will maximize profitability of early-planted soybean production. At this time, we have some data indicating that it may increase profitability if additional inputs are used, such as fertilizer at planting for those very early planting dates. Although this would be an additional input cost, the preliminary work suggests a yield gain in excess of 10 bushels per acre. At these levels, the profitability is much greater than no fertilizer inputs at planting. There are likely other management decisions that could also increase profitability, such as maturity group selection.