A lot of acres have been planted in Brown County in the last couple weeks. We are impressed with the progress and thankful for the rain we've received the last couple days. Take a minute this rainy morning to read about early planted soybeans, our emergence studies, and current soil temp.
Early Planted Soybeans
Recently, many studies have pointed to early planted soybeans as a way to increase overall yield and crop production. Soybean development is related to day length; shorter days trigger physiological development. By planting soybeans early, higher yields can be achieved by moving the critical development stages to longer days, and consequently allowing for more light interception and longer pod fill and reproductive growth. A study from the University of Nebraska showed that by planting soybeans early, 27 more days of plant growth was possible before maturity, compared to a later planted soybean that matured at the same time. This study saw a 1/8 to 1/4 bushel per acre per day loss with later planting dates. A study from DuPont Pioneer showed that maturity of soybean did have a relationship with early planting dates. Fuller season soybeans had a greater yield advantage when planted early. However, early maturing varieties had similar yields across all planting dates. By pushing the planting date up, higher yields were possible. Read more about these studies in the links below.
Emergence Study
Uniform emergence is key to optimizing yield. Studies conducted last year showed that up to 93% of total yield came from plants that emerged within the first 24 hours. We are tracking emergence across several sites again this year to assess the impact emergence has on overall yield. If you have questions about the study or would like to participate, let Mitchell, Jeremy, or Rachel know.
Soil Temperature
The 8 a.m. soil temp continued to increase from April 26th on. While soil temps were well below the 5 year average for a large part of April, temperatures have since surged above the 5 year average with the latest warming trend.
Viewing Weather Stations
An alternative to viewing our locally placed weather stations on weather underground is the Davis Instruments App. Search for Davis Instruments in the app store and download the Davis 2.0 app. This app provides a list of all the local Davis weather stations and details for each such as current weather conditions, forecast and historical rainfall. The app does require a login. If you have purchased a weather station, contact Rachel at 402-245-0195 or rhstevens22@gmail.com to get your login information. If you have not purchased a weather station, you can log in using the user name pedersonseed and password pss_weather . This app provides a more streamlined look at the local weather stations and their local forecast and records 24 hour and storm rainfall totals. Contact Rachel or Greg for information on using the app or setting up your list of stations.
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