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FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN CHECKOFF
SIX SECRETS SPECIAL REPORT
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SIX SECRETS
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n 2012, your Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checko program
established a goal of utilizing (producing and selling) 600 million
bushels of Illinois soybeans by 2020 — a 25% increase over typical
soybean levels of that time. While many felt soybean yields had
plateaued, the ISA Board believed our farmers could increase yields
and generate better pro ts with smarter, more intensive management
and the latest technology.
To help accomplish that goal, ISA started funding a rst-of-its-kind
study to look more holistically at intensive soybean management —
to identify if better management leads to better yields and determine
which of those practices are most critical to success.
After ve years of research, we’re pleased to share this
summary of the Six Secrets of Soybean Success.
Fred E. Below, Ph.D., is a professor of crop physiology in the
Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. His research
is focused on understanding factors limiting crop productivity,
particularly corn and soybeans. He is author or co-author on more
than 85 peer-reviewed manuscripts, numerous abstracts, book and
proceedings chapters, and he has advised more than 65 graduate
and postdoctoral students.
He developed the “Seven
Wonders of The Corn
Yield World” and the
“Six Secrets of Soybean
Success” as tools to teach
farmers and agricultural
professionals the value
of their individual crop
management decisions,
and he has been actively
using these concepts to
develop cropping systems
capable of sustainably
producing high corn and
soybean yields.
I
WEATHER:
The number one in uence
on soybean yields, but
beyond our control
FERTILITY:
Proactive fertilization
can boost yields over
60 bushels
FOLIAR PROTECTION:
Fungicides and insecticides
protect foliage and prevent
yield loss
GENETICS:
The fullest maturities for the
region produce the greatest
yield increases
ROW SPACING:
Narrower, 15- or 20-inch
rows increase yield and
respond better to more
intense management
SEED TREATMENT:
Early season protection
protects yield potential
Secrets of Soybean Success
WHAT FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH HAS TAUGHT US
FRED E. BELOW, PH.D
Professor of Crop Physiology, University of Illinois
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY FRED BELOW
SIX SECRETS SPECIAL REPORT
Relearning Soybean’s
Fertility Needs
A grower’s typical fertilization practice was to fertilize corn
and add in extra for soybeans or let soybean scavenge for leftover
nutrients in the soil. When growers expected low yields of 40 to 60
bushels per acre, this practice was acceptable.
But today, growers are pushing yields to 60 to 80 bushels and even
higher. That requires fertilizing soybeans separate from corn and
following a program unique to soybeans. Most high-yield soybean
producers are following a broad-ranging fertility program that
includes all the macros and micros.
Potassium (K) vs.
Phosphorus (P) Paradox
Growers are advised to pay attention to potassium (K). A
60-bushel soybean crop requires 170 lbs. of K20 (equal to 280 lbs.
of Muriate of Potash fertilizer). The plant takes up 3.5 lbs. of K20
per day over a 50-day period beginning at pod set, and banks K
in stems and petioles so it’s readily available to fill pods. However,
only 40% is removed with the grain and the rest stays with the
stover and is returned to the soil.
Phosphorus however, responds quite differently — uptake
continues over a longer 70-day period beginning at pod set. The
plant doesn’t store available P in the stem, and the majority of its
supply must come directly from the soil. And 80% is removed with
the grain with very little remaining in the stover.
NUTRIENT UPTAKE, REMOVAL AND HARVEST
INDEX FOR 60-BUSHEL CROP
N
Zn (OZ)
B (OZ)
P2 O5
245
4.8
4.6
43
179
2.0
1.6
35
73
S17 10 61
K2 O170 70 41
44
34
81
Nutrient Required to
Produce
POUNDS P ER ACRE %
Removed
with Grain Harvest
Index
SOURCE: AGRONOMY JOURNAL: 107:563-573 (2015)
Source: Agronomy Journal: 107:563-573 (2015)
Soybeans require ample amounts of nutrients and particularly
nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P). Soybeans need
about 4 to 4.5 lbs. of N per bushel produced with about half
coming from their own nitrogen fixing nodules and the rest from the
soil. A 60-bushel crop removes significant amounts of nutrients
with the grain, particularly N, P and sulfur (S).
Based on University of Illinois field trials, extra fertility — especially P (not K as long thought) has the most
significant impact on yield. This is because soybeans get most of the K needed from the residue of the
previous corn crop. Today’s higher crop yields remove more nutrients while fertilizer rates are remaining
relatively stable, so growers need to pay more attention to when and how much they apply.
K AND P UPTAKE AND PARTITIONING FOR 60-BUSHEL SOYBEAN CROP
100
80
60
40
20
0
170
136
102
68
34
20040 60 80 100 120
0
K Uptake (lb K2O ac-1)
Days After Planting
Percent of Total (%)
PLANTING V3 V7 R2 R4 R5 R6 R8
Growth Stage
P Uptake (lb P2O5 ac-1)
Days After Planting
Percent of Total (%)
PLANTING V3 V7 R2 R4 R5 R6 R8
Growth Stage
GRAIN FLOWERS, PODS STEM, PETIOLES LEAVES
100
80
60
40
20
0
40
32
24
16
8
20040 60 80 100 120
0
P AND K FERTILITY
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Do Soybeans
Respond to
Fertilizer N?
Soybeans need 4 to 5 lbs.
of nitrogen (N) per bushel
with about half coming
from their nitrogen-fixing
nodules and the rest from
the soil. By R5/pod fill
stage, N-fixation begins to
slow and plants cannibalize internal N sources if the soil can’t
provide enough to meet demand.
Soybean needs more N than it can get from nodules. Research
has shown that when yield potential exceeds 50 to 60 bushels,
the crop increasingly relies on soil reserves of nitrate and
mineralized N.
As growers push yields to 70 bushels or greater, the gap between
how much N soybeans need and what can be provided by the
nodules gets wider. As such, farmers may need to apply additional
nitrogen to supplement what the soil can provide.
What N Sources, Rates and
Timing are Optimal?
TIMING: Nitrogen can be applied pre-plant to supply the
plant until N-fixation kicks in at V2-V3 (20 to 30 days after
planting). An early pre-plant application also will compensate
if nodule development is hindered by wet June weather.
By the R4 growth stage, soybeans increasingly begin to move
N from vegetative tissues to the pods. The most recommended
application timing is at R3 or beginning pod set.
SOURCE: There are many N sources available from organic
to commercial. Organic forms like compost, litter and manure
are slow release and are available later in the season as demand
increases with pod fill.
University of Illinois studies evaluated ammonium
nitrate (AN), ammonium sulfate (AMS), urea ammonium
nitrate (UAN), urea, potassium nitrate (KN), Agrium’s
Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN) and the addition of
stabilizers (BASF’s Limus) to urea.
However, nitrate containing and controlled release sources
(ESN) were the most effective and consistent at all stages of
application.
RATE: Nitrogen can be applied pre-plant or in-season
• Pre-plant at a rate of 30 to 50 lbs. per acre
• In-season at a rate of 50 to 100 lbs. per acre
N ON BEANS
Recent university research has shown that supplemental nitrogen, and
particularly nitrate, doesn’t suppress N-fixation as long-believed.
SOURCE: SALVAGIOTTI ET AL. FIELD CROPS RES. 108:1-13
100
3010
0
50 70 90 110
200
300
400
500
N Uptake or xation (lbs. N acre
-1
)
Yield (bu acre-1)
TOTA L N UPTAK E BIOLOGICAL N FIXATION
Data from 2015 show that most supplemental N sources provide a
positive yield response.
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CROP PHYSIOLOGY LAB
RESPONSE TO N ON SOYBEANS - 2015
Average 3 Locations (100 lbs. of N applied)
Control = 71.7 bu acre-1
4.0*
2.7*
3.5*
2.3
1.6
2.6*
3.2*
AN
AMS
UAN
Urea
Urea +
Limus
AN + KN
+ AMS
ESN
4.2*
1.6
4.1*
2.9*
3.3*
1.4
2.7*
5.3*
3.5*
3.8*
3.2*
3.7*
4.5*
4.3*
5.7*
3.2*
3.1*
3.1*
4.2*
3.6*
3.1*
Source Pre-plant
changes in bushels acre-1
V3 R1 R3
* Signi cantly di erent than control
SIX SECRETS SPECIAL REPORT
PHOTO BY FRED BELOW
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VARIETY AND PLANTING ARRANGEMENTS
Variety Selection
Growers are constantly reminded that their first production
decision is the variety they plant. Always select a variety that is
high yielding, has the necessary agronomic and defensive package
and is adapted to the field and soil where you will plant it.
However, soybean varieties differ in their response to
management. In 2016, the University of Illinois compared the
yield response of 28 commercially available varieties to different
management at Yorkville, Champaign and Harrisburg, Ill.,
with maturity ranging from 2.3 to 4.8. Champaign results are
shown below.
Row Spacing
Since the introduction of Roundup Ready soybeans, many growers
returned to planting soybeans in 30-inch rows. Today many growers
have one or more planters that plant both corn and soybeans. But by
doing so, have they given up yield?
The University of Il linois exami ned the effects of row spaci ng on yield
with standard practices and high management techniques. Standard
practices included fertilizer before corn only; no-, or minimal- seed
treatment; and no foliar protection. High management included P,
sulfur, and zinc banded below the row; K broadcast and incorporated;
complete seed treatment with fungicide, insecticide and nematicide;
and foliar fungicide and insecticide applied at R3.
Narrower rows (20- vs. 30-inch) can have a big impact on final yield,
and narrow row soybeans are more responsive when adding more
intensive management factors.
Variety matters • In the Champaign trial, yield ranged from 76 to
93.6 bushels, so varieties aren’t created equal.
• Soybean varieties differ in their response to
fertility and foliar protection, so if deploying
a high management approach, plant an
offensive variety that is known to respond.
• Variety makes a big difference in
yield, and the fullest maturity usually
produces the highest yield.
Narrow rows increased yield by 4.2 bushels with standard
management and 8.5 bushels under a high management system.
The piano graphs above ranked the varieties from the lowest to highest performing in response to fertility, foliar protection or the combination
of the two. Some varieties showed a negative response to adding technology. However, in most cases, there was a positive and additive yield
response with the greatest response coming from fertility (2.6 bushels) and foliar protection (1.9 bushels). When applied together there was a
4.9-bushel increase. And when there was a positive response to management, it ranged by as much as 12 bushels.
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CROP PHYSIOLOGY LAB
EFFECT OF ROW SPACING ON YIELD WITH
AND WITHOUT HIGH MANAGEMENT
30-INCH
70.0
75.7
20-INCH
74.2
84.2 +8.5
GAIN
+4.2
row spacing
standard
practice
high
technology
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FUNGICIDES, INSECTICIDES AND SEED TREATMENTS
Seed Treatments
Your goal a s a soybean grower is to produce a good
stand that emerges evenly and is well distributed.
That means getting as many seeds as possible to
germinate and emerge without succumbing to
cold and wet conditions or soil pathogens.
Many seed companies and growers have adopted
seed treatments as a standard practice, and today
you can’t buy some brands or varieties without
treatment. The array of active ingredients you
can apply to seed is mind-boggling, including
fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and
biological inoculants. Treated seed is more vigorous in its early growth pattern, outgrowing untreated seedlings.
UNTREATED SEED FUNGICIDE, INSEC TICIDE, NEMATICIDE
Make it a goal to add more pods. Adding one more pod to
each soybean plant is worth two bushels per acre in final yield.
Foliar Protection
Soybean yield is inf luenced by pod number per plant. The difference between a 50- and
62-bushel yield is largely the number of pods in the middle portion of the plant.
About 60% of soybean yield comes from the middle nodes (nodes 7 to 13) of a plant. It is
important to protect leaves at those nodes. The closest leaves provide most of the energy
for pods at those nodes.
Source: University of Illinois Crop Physiology Lab
1.O
0.5
50
0
10 15 20
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.O
Pod Number (per node)
Node Number
62 BUSHELS
50 BUSHELS
Research at the University of Illinois showed that a foliar fungicide plus insecticide
applied at R3 adds on average 2.5 bushels per acre in a standard system and 3.5
bushels in a high management system.
Research at the University of Illinois
showed that a complete seed treatment
adds on average 1.5 bushels per acre in
a standard system and 2.5 bushels in a
high management system.
UNTREATED SEED
(R2 growth stage, Champaign, Ill., 2012)
FUNGICIDE, INSEC TICIDE, NEMATICIDE
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PHOTOS BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CROP PHYSIOLOGY LAB
PHOTOS BY A.J. WOODYARD
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OMISSION PLOTS/SUMMARY
Below and his team conducted field research using an omission/
addition plot design. With this approach you test each production
factor either alone or in various combinations for one up to six
treatments. Treatments included P, K, P and K combined, fungicide
and insecticide combined, seed treatment and row spacing. The
standa rd plot was a check to which indiv idual practices were bumpe d
up to the high-tech level for comparison. The high management
plot included all six practices with individual practices set to the
standard level for comparison.
The standard plot had a yield of 70 bushels per acre. The greatest
yield increases (over 4 bushels) came from including P, P and K
combined, or narrowing rows to 20-inches. Surprisingly, adding
potassium didn’t show a response, which is contrary to popular
belief. Seed treatments added 1.4 bushels alone and foliar protection
added 2.6 bushels. As a grower, if you are conservative and want to
limit your cost, phosphate application is your best investment. Row
spacing is also an excellent investment if you already have a planter
that can seed in 15 or 20-inch rows.
The high management plot had a yield of 84.2 bushels per acre,
14.2 more bushels than the standard plot. The greatest drop in yield,
8.5 bushels, occurred when soybeans were planted in 30-inch rows
compared to 20-inch. Soybeans are more responsive to technology
investments in a narrower row configuration. Removing P from the
high management package had the second biggest impact on yield
with a loss of 5 to 6 bushels followed by foliar protection and seed
treatments at 3.2 and 2.4 bushels, respectively.
STANDARD VS. HIGH-TECH SYSTEMS 2014-15
FACTOR STANDARD SYSTEMS HIGH-TECH SYSTEMS
PHOSPHORUS P applied the year b efore to cor n 75 lbs. P2O5 as Mi croEssen tials-SZ (23 N 19 S, & 1.9 Z n)
Banded 4-6" under row planting
POTASSIUM K applied th e year before to c orn 75 lbs. K2O a s Aspire (0.6 B) Broadca st Incorpor ated
P & K P & K app lied the year befo re to corn MESZ an d Aspire applie d as to the left
FOL IAR
PROTECTION No foliar protection Fungicide and Insecticide applied at R3
SEED TREATMENT Untrea ted or Fungicide o nly Fungicide, Insecticide , Nematicide
ROW SPACING 30-inch row spacing 20-inch row spacing
SOYBEAN OMISSION PLOTS - AVERAGE OF 2014 & 2015 TRIALS
STANDARD HIGH-TECH
FACTOR YIELD ADD FAC TOR YIELD OMIT FAC TOR
BUSHEL ACRE -1
NONE OR ALL 70.0 84.2
PHOSPHATE 74.7 +4.7* 78.8 -5.4*
POTASSIUM 69.6 -0.4 84.8 +0.6
P & K 74.4 + 4.4* 78.2 -6.0*
FUNGICIDE + INSECTICIDE 72.6 +2.6* 81.0 -3.2*
SEED TREATMENT 71.4 +1.4 81.8 -2 .4*
ROW SPA CING 74.2 +4.2* 75.5 - 8.5*
* Signi ca ntly di ere nt at P ≤ 0.05
Average of 10 trials over 2014 and 2015 with two varieties in each trial
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CROP PHYSIOLOGY LAB
Soil fertility, particularly phosphorus,
and narrowing row spacing, are the
two most important management
factors for increasing soybean yields.
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Each of the six secrets independently can increase yield and when combined into a system they act synergistically. Identify the factors limiting your soybean yield
and select the “secrets” and practices that work together to optimize yield and profitability.
* Signi ca ntly di ere nt at P ≤ 0.05
Average of 10 trials over 2014 and 2015 with two varieties in each trial
SUMMARY
Conclusions
Soybean yield can be increased through better crop management
and adoption of the right practices and technologies that optimize
the system.
The high management research produced nearly a 15-bushel acre
yield gain. At $10 per bushel, that is a net increase of $150 per acre.
Managing soybeans can pay.
• Early planting and planting fuller maturities increases yield.
• Phosphorus increasingly is becoming the limiting nutrient to yield.
• Protect the foliage — about 60% of soybean yield comes from nodes
7 to 13, so protect leaves at or close to those nodes.
• Adding one more pod to each soybean plant adds 2 bushels per acre to yield.
• Planting in narrower rows increases yield, and the crop is more responsive
to high yield management.
• Soybean varieties greatly di er in their response to high management
practices, so select wisely.
For more information, visit:
http://cropphysiology.cropsci.illinois.edu.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
SOYBEAN OMISSION PLOTS 2014
LOCATION STANDARD HIGH-TECH C
BUSHEL ACRE -1
DEKALB 69.6 79.1 +9.5*
CHAMPAIGN 76.7 97.4 +20.7*
HARRISBURG 61.6 71.2 +9.6*
AVERAGE 69.3 83.0 +13.7*
SOYBEAN OMISSION PLOTS 2015
LOCATION STANDARD HIGH-TECH C
BUSHEL ACRE -1
DEKALB 56.5 73.6 +17.1*
CHAMPAIGN 80.1 98.9 +18.8*
HARRISBURG 75.1 83.2 +8. 1*
AVERAGE 70.6 85.3 +14.7*
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CROP PHYSIOLOGY LAB
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FARMER COOPERATORS
DeKalb: Eric Lawler of H.B. Babson Farms
Yorkville: Bob Stewart of Stewart Farms, LLC.
Rushville: Mike Dyche of Dyche Farms, Inc.
Champaign: UI Research Farms
Harrisburg: Scott Berry of Berry Farms
CONTRIBUTORS
AND SPONSORS
Helena Chemical Company
Illinois Soybean Association
Monsanto
The Mosaic Company
WinField United
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Financial and Product Support for 2016
AdvanSix
Agricen
Agrium
Arysta LifeScience
BASF
Crop Production Services
Dawn Equipment
Fluid Fertilizer Foundation
Growmark
Helena Chemical Company
Illinois Soybean Association
Illini FS
John Deere
Monsanto
Mosiac
N e t a m
Rosen's Inc.
Syngenta
United Prairie
West Central
WinField United
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS RESEARCH:
SIX SECRETS SPECIAL REPORT
ISA is here for our soybean farmers
Jenny Mennenga
Le Roy, Ill., farmer and ISA Production and Outreach Committee Chair
Six Secrets is just one way your checkoff works for you. From ILSoyAdvisor.
com, our soybean management hub, to the ISA Yield Challenge, double-crop
initiative, local events, profitability radio and much more, ISA has the tools and
resources to help you break your yield barriers and boost your bottom line,
substainably. Visit us at ilsoy.org or ILSoyAdvisor.com – and be sure to sign
up for the ILSoyAdvisor and Yield Challenge newsletters to stay informed.
PHOTO BY ISA
8 |
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