The goal of this project is to participate in a national protocol to evaluate situations (specifically in Maryland) where biological seed treatments improve soybean grain yield and combine local data with the national Science for Success team.

The goal of this project is to participate in a national protocol to evaluate situations (specifically in Maryland) where biological seed treatments improve soybean grain yield and combine local data with the national Science for Success team.

Updated August 14, 2023:
The study was established following the national protocol at the locations listed in the proposal (Poplar Hill and Wye). Pre-plant soil samples and leaf samples at ~R2 have been collected and we are prepared for harvest as it approaches. Collected samples are being processed for shipping to project organizers at Ohio State University. We will collect grain samples at harvest as outlined in the national protocol.

Biological seed treatment is a growing market in the U.S., and soybean growers are interested in understanding the benefits of applying biological products to the seed. Often, farmers are bombarded with marketing claims about biological seed treatments and other novel products. In many cases, there is little or no third-party evidence regarding the ability of these biological seed treatments to improve soybean yield and profitability. Therefore, one of the objectives of this study is to evaluate situations where biological seed treatments improve soybean grain yield. Moreover, we will to
further engage with the Science for Success team of agronomists across the US and we feel participation in this protocol in 2023 will further the collaboration.

As part of the Science for Success team, we will be implementing the same national protocol at two locations in Maryland (Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center – Poplar Hill and Wye Research and Education Center). Due to limited availability of products to be tested, we will be sharing shipped products with collaborators at Virginia Tech, located at Tidewater AREC in Suffolk, VA. We will coordinate transport of seed and products between the two locations. At each location, we will evaluate the influence of nine biological soybean seed treatments and one untreated control on grain yield. The experiment design will be a randomized complete block design with six replications at all sites. Products will be applied to the seeds before planting, and the application protocol used was according to each product's recommendations (labels). The products evaluated will be the same nationally, with each state collaborator selecting soybean variety appropriate for their region. All seed will be pre-treated with fungicide and insecticide to represent practices adopted by farmers. Soybean yield will be collected via harvest of the center two rows of each plot 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. Grain yield will be adjusted to 13% moisture concentration prior to data analysis. Yield values that fall outside of three standard deviations of each site’s average yield will be removed from the analysis. Data will be analyzed using a mixed model analysis of variance in SAS.