Maximize Yield: Benefits of Early Soybean Planting with Asgrow® XtendFlex®
Benefits of Early Soybean Planting
Farmers who plant Asgrow® XtendFlex® soybeans this season can benefit from the brand’s premium genetics that offer high yield potential. And by using Bayer’s portfolio of crop protection products, they also can help defend their crop against yield-robbing pests.
Management practices can also play an important role, including planting soybeans early, which can enable farmers to achieve the highest performance potential with their Asgrow soybeans.
Early planting of soybeans has seen increased adoption because of the potential yield benefits it offers by providing a longer period of growth before flowering. This gives the plant the opportunity for more nodes, which can lead to more pods and seeds.
Andrew Penney, DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist serving central and southwest Iowa, says many farmers in his territory last season planted a percentage of their soybeans before they started on corn. “Stands were reduced in spots, but yields at harvest were on par with area averages or higher,” he says. “Farmers I talked to about this plan to plant early again in 2024 if Mother Nature allows us to get in the field in early April.”
Although planting earlier doesn’t guarantee an increase in yields, he notes it does enable farmers to extend their planting window and take advantage of favorable planting conditions. But despite the potential benefits, Penney cautions that one risk to early-season soybean planting is early frost-freeze conditions that can reduce stands or require replanting.
“Another risk, which we can manage, is that early planting can also promote seedling diseases, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Phytophthora, which are favored by cool soils,” he notes. Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions offers an exclusive combination of fungicides to help mitigate this risk under certain cold conditions.
“Generally speaking, there are fewer risks and more rewards associated with planting beans before corn when planting early,” Penney says. “My advice, if it’s early in the planting season and there is still a fair amount of time before the weather consistently becomes warmer, is to start with soybeans to help maximize the high yield potential of Asgrow XtendFlex soybeans.”
The Basics Still Matter
Steven Regan, DEKALB Asgrow technical agronomist based in Minnesota, notes early planting can bring a benefit only when farmers plant into optimal seedbed and soil moisture conditions. “Ideal planting depth for soybeans is 1 to 1.25 inches,” he notes. “In a dry spring with limited soil moisture, we can push planting depth past 1.5 inches, but we should never plant soybeans deeper than 2 inches.”
Often, Regan adds, early planting falls in line with soils that are too wet. “Be aware that sidewall compaction and open seed furrows from soil that is too wet will negate the benefits of early planting. Maximum yield potential is in part driven by a uniform stand, which comes from ideal seedbed conditions, uniform moisture and good seed-to-soil contact.”
He also recommends selecting an appropriate relative maturity and planting population based on farmers’ respective areas and operations. “Early planting brings the opportunity for a longer growing season and realistically a situation where we want to maximize a full-season product for our region,” Regan says. “But early planting does not necessarily mean we need to plant high populations. Work with your trusted advisor to determine an appropriate seeding rate for the conditions, soil types and agronomic concerns for your fields and geography.”
For more information about realizing the high yield potential of Asgrow soybeans, farmers can contact their DEKALB Asgrow dealer or visit Asgrow.com
No dicamba may be used in-crop with seed with Roundup Ready® Xtend Technology, unless and until approved or specifically permitted, and no dicamba formulations are currently registered for such use in the 2024 season. Please follow https://www.roundupreadyxtend.com/pages/xtendimax-updates.aspx for status updates.
Bayer is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Bayer’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS.
It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex® Technology. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex® Technology.
Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and environmental conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on their growing environment.
The recommendations in this material are based upon trial observations and feedback received from a limited number of growers and growing environments. These recommendations should be considered as one reference point and should not be substituted for the professional opinion of agronomists, entomologists or other relevant experts evaluating specific conditions.
The recommendations in this material are based upon trial observations and feedback received from a limited number of growers and growing environments. These recommendations should be considered as one reference point and should not be substituted for the professional opinion of agronomists, entomologists or other relevant experts evaluating specific conditions.
Products with XtendFlex® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. Plants that are not tolerant to glyphosate, dicamba, and/or glufosinate may be damaged or killed if exposed to those herbicides. Contact your seed brand dealer or refer to the Bayer Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.
Acceleron®, Asgrow and the A Design®, Asgrow®, Bayer, Bayer Cross, DEKALB®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield® and XtendFlex® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. LibertyLink logo® and LibertyLink® are trademarks of BASF Corporation. ©2024 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.
