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Bruce Burdick
1109 S. Birch St.
Albany, MO 64402
660-726-5610
Email:
BurdickB@missouri.edu
Hundley-Whaley Center phone
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EFFECT OF PLANTING DATE, ROW SPACING AND PLANTING RATE
ON SOYBEAN PERFORMANCE AT THE HUNDLEY-WHALEY FARM
DURING THE 2000 CROP YEAR (MSMCPLNT)
by Donald E. Null, Regional Agronomy Specialist
Sponsored by Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and Producer Check-off Funds
Situation:
Soybean producers are questioning the value of high soybean seeding rates, especially considering the price of soybean seed that carries the Roundup Ready gene. Most data indicates that early planting produces higher yields than later planting, but again seed prices become a factor since most early-planted soybeans suffer a higher percent mortality than later planted soybean.
Objective: The study was conducted to determine the effect of planting date, seeding rate and row width on soybean yield and profitability. Harvest data was collected. We attempted to answer the following questions:
- Which is the best planting date for profitable soybean production in Northwest Missouri?
- Does seeding rate need to change with planting date and row width.
- Are 15" rowed soybeans more profitable than 30" rowed beans? If so, under what conditions?
Materials and methods: The study was designed as a split-plot with four replications. Planting dates were targeted for April 20, May 20 and June 20. Actual planting dates for 2000 were April 18, May 12 and June 15.
Plot size was 12' wide by 30' long. Wilcross 2338 Roundup Ready seed was used in the experiment this year. The seed was not fungicide treated.
Seeding rates were counted to represent 100,000, 150,000 and 200,000 seeds per acre. Row width was 15 and 30". Planting was accomplished with a John Deere Max-Emerge planter equipped with cones to deliver the correct amount of seed to each plot. The first planting was done into a conventionally prepared seedbed and subsequent plantings were made no-till into a stale seedbed. The plot area produced bulk soybeans in 1999.
Weed control, besides tillage, consisted of three applications of Roundup Ultra @ 1 qt/acre on May 18, June 12 and June 30 to the whole study area. All weeds were controlled by these treatments.
Results: Plant counts were taken on June 19, June 26 and on July 10. One yard of row length was randomly selected from each treatment at each count time and these were averaged together to get the reported soybean stand. Table 1 shows the results of these counts in percent of seeds established. There was no significant difference in percent of soybeans established based on planting date, row width or seeding rate this year.
Soybean yields are reported in Table 2. The highest yield (47 bu/acre) in the study was provided by three treatments. The poorest yield (33.0 bu/acre) was from the June 15 planting of 100,000 seeds/acre in 30" rows. The data does not support a difference in crop yield between the April 18 and May 12 planting date. However, soybean yield was significantly less when planting was delayed to June 15.
There was no significant difference in crop performance due to row spacing or planting rate for the April 18 planting date. The 150,000 and 200,000 seeds/acre seeding rate yielded significantly higher than the 100,000 seeds/acre seeding rate in both 15" and 30" wide-rows for the May 12 planted soybeans. The 15" rowed soybean yielded significantly higher yields than the 30" rowed soybeans with two of the three seeding rates for the June 15 planted soybeans.
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Effect of Planting Date, Row Width and Seeding Rate on Soybean Stand (2000) | |
Row Width |
Seeding Rate
(thousands of seed) |
Percent of Plants established for Planting Dates | |
April 18 | May 12 | June 15 | |
15" |
100 | 83 | 81 | 88 | |
150 | 90 | 91 | 83 | |
200 | 86 | 86 | 91 | |
30" |
100 | 85 | 87 | 88 | |
150 | 91 | 92 | 86 | |
200 | 89 | 83 | 83 | |
LSD 0.05
| NS |
Table 1
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Effect of Planting Date, Row Width and Seeding Rate on Soybean Yield (2000) | |
Row Width |
Seeding Rate
(thousands of seed) |
Soybean Yields (Bu/acre) for Planting Dates | |
April 18 | May 12 | June 15 | |
15" |
100 | 44 | 43 | 37 | |
150 | 47 | 47 | 40 | |
200 | 46 | 47 | 39 | |
30" |
100 | 44 | 42 | 33 | |
150 | 46 | 45 | 35 | |
200 | 45 | 46 | 37 | |
LSD 0.05 |
3 | |
Average Yield for planting dates | 45 | 45
| 37 |
Table 2|
Effect of Row Width on Soybean Yields (Bu/acre) * | |
Planting Date | Narrow Rows | Wide Rows | Difference | |
April 18 | 45.6 | 45.0 | 0.6 | |
May 12 | 45.6 | 44.3 | 1.3 | |
June 15 | 38.7 | 35.0 | 3.7 |
*Averaged across three seeding rates
Table 3
Table 3 shows that the late (June 15) planted soybeans yielded significantly fewer bushels per acre than the earlier two planting dates. Figure 1 illustrates that fact in graphic form.
Figure 1
The table below gives the economic return for each treatment after soybean seed costs. The highest economic return of $212.50/acre came from both the April 18 and May 12 planted soybean that were planted at 150,000 seeds per acre in 15" wide rows. The lowest return of $150.00/acre came from the June 15 planting of 100,000 seeds per acre in 30" rows. These data indicate how important it is to not delay planting to mid-June. The data also supports the economic advantages to plant soybeans in narrower rows when planting date is delayed into mid-June.
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Planting Date | Inches of Row
Width | Planting Rate in
thousands | $ Seed
Cost/Acre(1) | $ Return after Seed
based on $5.00/bu | |
April 18 | 15 | 100 | 15.00 | 205.00 | |
April 18 | 15 | 150 | 22.50 | 212.50 | |
April 18 | 15 | 200 | 30.00 | 200.00 | |
April 18 | 30 | 100 | 15.00 | 205.00 | |
April 18 | 30 | 150 | 22.50 | 207.50 | |
April 18 | 30 | 200 | 30.00 | 195.00 | |
May 12 | 15 | 100 | 15.00 | 200.00 | |
May 12 | 15 | 150 | 22.50 | 212.50 | |
May 12 | 15 | 200 | 30.00 | 205.00 | |
May 12 | 30 | 100 | 15.00 | 195.00 | |
May 12 | 30 | 150 | 22.50 | 202.50 | |
May 12 | 30 | 200 | 30.00 | 200.00 | |
June 15 | 15 | 100 | 15.00 | 170.00 | |
June 15 | 15 | 150 | 22.50 | 177.50 | |
June 15 | 15 | 200 | 30.00 | 165.00 | |
June 15 | 30 | 100 | 15.00 | 150.00 | |
June 15 | 30 | 150 | 22.50 | 152.50 | |
June 15 | 30 | 200 | 30.00 | 155.00 |
(1) based on 3200 seeds/pound and a cost of $24.00 per 50 pound bag of seed ($0.15/1000 seeds)
Table 4
Summary: The data from last years (1999) study was not discussed. It was of limited value because the unusually wet spring delayed the first planting date to May 27.
The data from this year's study suggests that there is no significant difference in soybean yield between soybeans planted April 15 and May 15. Yields for the June 15 planted soybeans were significantly less than soybeans planted at the two earlier dates.
The 15" rowed soybeans yielded over 3 bushels per acre more than soybeans planted in 30" rows in the both the mid-May and mid-June plantings. The row width had very little effect upon final yield when the soybeans were planted in mid-April.
Outreach: The study was explained in this year's Hundley-Whaley Field Day report. Over 800 copies of the report were distributed to people attending the field day. The 1999 data was discussed at the Field Day by Dr. Bill Wiebold, MU Agronomy Specialist. The 2000 data will be shared with northwest Missouri producers at three winter meetings. The data will also be shared with north Missouri producers through newsletters and newspaper articles this winter.
Future Plans: The study will be repeated in 2001, with the approval of funding support from the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council.
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