The goal of this project is to provide Maryland producers with an unbiased comparison of soybean variety performance
across the geographic and climatic regions of Maryland. We will also evaluate yield difference with early planting across
all varieties entered in the trial.

The goal of this project is to provide Maryland producers with an unbiased comparison of soybean variety performance across the geographic and climatic regions of Maryland. These data can aid producers in soybean variety selection with the global goal of increasing producer profitability through increased yields. We will also evaluate yield difference with early planting across all varieties entered in the trial.

Varieties from maturity group (MG) III, IV, and V will be evaluated at four locations across the state representative of the geographic conditions in Maryland. A full-season test will be conducted at all four locations with a double-crop test at two locations on the Eastern Shore. Varieties from MG III and IV will be evaluated at all locations, while MG V will only be evaluated at the Eastern Shore locations. The full season tested will be planting twice at two locations (Clarksville and Wye RECs), with one early planting of the entire test. Early planting date will be approximately early to mid-April. Each variety will be replicated three times per test (early and optimal planting) per location. Four row plots will be established, at least 20 feet long using a row spacing of 30 inches, with similar maturity group varieties planted adjacent to one another. Seeding rate of 6-8 seeds per foot will be used when tests are planting and a rate of 3-4 seeds per foot will be used where seed is drilled. The center two rows of each plot are harvested with Almaco R1 research combine (Almaco Co., Nevada, IA). Grain yield, harvest moisture, and test weight will be measured for each plot. These data will be collected with a Seed Spector LRX system (Almaco Co., Nevada, IA) and recorded on Microsoft xTablet T1600. Harvest data, including yield, relative yield, moisture, lodging, and test weight will be reported for all varieties at all locations in a
summary report to be available for download at the UMD MD Crops website (www.psla.umd.edu/extension/md-crops).

Update:
All trials have been planted at the locations identified in the proposal, including the duplicate early planting at both Wye and Clarksville locations. All plots are progressing well and we anticipate a timely harvest barring no major weather events as we enter the fall.

Update:

View uploaded report

Producers are often “sold” a number of different products, seed varieties, herbicides, insecticides, or growth promotion products, which are pitched as yield maximizers. The ability of these products to increase yield may be questionable, as companies do not typically utilize acceptable statistical practices and field trial design to produce repeatable conclusions. What is additionally questionable is the profitability of these products. Producers need an unbiased source to compare the performance and profitability of these products, namely seed varieties, to make decisions that maximize profitability on their operations. Moreover, it is important to evaluate seed varieties across the geographic and climatic regions of the state so producers across the state can select varieties appropriate for their specific conditions as well as all-around consistent varieties. As weather conditions continue to be unpredictable and variable, there is value in selecting soybean varieties that perform well across variable conditions to minimize risk of profit loss.

The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in indeterminate soybeans depends on the detection of night length, or number of hours without sunlight as the season continues. As soybeans are planted later into the growing season, they do not have as much time to develop biomass. They also miss the opportunity for longer days and intercepting additional sunlight, to drive photosynthesis towards production of pods – which could decrease yield. The general hypothesis is a longer growing season, and therefore greater photosynthesis, could increase soybean yields. With interest from growers to evaluate early planting dates impact on soybean yield, we will duplicate the entire trial at one early plant date at two locations (one Eastern Shore, one Western Shore) to evaluate a yield response to early planting across many varieties and multiple maturity groups.

Funding for these small, statewide, and applied projects is difficult to obtain. These comparisons are performed at the state level and do not often qualify for support from USDA or other federal grant programs. Although major seed companies provide entries fees to support the corn variety trials, their provision of support may lead some to question if there is bias in the results. The funding provided from commodity organizations across the country is invaluable to the performance of these unbiased product comparisons.