Introduction

We hear and read a lot nowadays about “high-yield research”. To some this means raising the yield plateau above that of the last 5 years; to others, it is often defined as research that is designed to push soybean yields to 80 and even 100 bu/acre. I prefer the term “high economic-yield research”, since the soybean producer’s bottom line is more important than a high yield that is not coupled with the concurrent knowledge of the net return from that higher yield.

In the Aug. 2012 issue of “Corn & Soybean Digest”, there is a multi-page insert titled “Extreme Beans–New High Yield Research” that describes the conduct and results from a 2009–2011 project dubbed “The Kitchen Sink Project” that was funded by the USB. The purpose of this project, which was conducted at three locations each in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, and Minnesota (for a total of 18 sites), was to determine inputs that could be recommended for the production of higher-yielding, higher quality US soybeans.

Description of Study

The study employed an “omission treatment structure” to test the impact of five inputs, which were:

●          Seed inoculant (SI–Vault),

●          Seed treatment (ST–Trilex 6000 or CruiserMaxx),

●          Additional soil fertility (ASF),

●          Foliar fertilizer (FFERT–Task Force 2), and

●          Foliar fungicides (FFUNG–Headline and Quilt).

The omission treatments included all of the above five inputs minus one. The ASF treatment involved adding Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulfur (S), Boron (B), and Manganese (Mn) to soils that were already at the high or very high level of fertility for the standard nutrients as determined by soil testing labs in each respective state.

There were also

●          Early-season (SI, ST, and ASF) and late-season (FFERT and FFUNG) treatments, and

●          Control systems that included a wide-row (30-in.-wide rows) and a narrow-row (20-in.-wide rows or narrower) system that received either all or none of the above additional inputs.

The objective of this large-scale study was to gain knowledge about what is going to happen when these inputs are applied over a wide range of environments.

In a subsequent series of blogs, I will provide my take on the results from this project, and what they mean for Midsouth soybean producers as they strive to raise the soybean yield plateau.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Oct. 2012, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net