Maturity Options For Late Planted Soybeans

JACKSON, TENN.
   No one is knocking the rain because we were all needing a shower, but rains have halted wheat harvest and the planting of remaining soybean acres. Yield potential tends to be reduced for July planted beans because of the compressed growing season. Weather over the next few months will play a huge role in determining how successful our late planted crop will turn out unless irrigation is an option. Soybean plants respond to a late planting date by flowering and developing at a much faster pace in order to set seed prior to frost. But, it still takes a solid 3 months to make a crop. Maturity group selection is important because we are getting to the point where we don’t want to go too late – especially if we wind up planting in late July. It may be tempting to go with a Group 2 bean, and some double crop growers had good luck with these in 2012. Consider going with a later option: USDA data from Milan in 2005 and 2006 showed that for a mid-July planting date, a Group 4 bean was actually the most consistent at making decent yields (non irrigated 39 to 49 bushels) compared to a Group 2 or 3 bean. Consider an early to mid Group 4 bean if
possible. Δ
   DR. ANGELA MCCLURE: Extension Corn and Soybean Specialist, University of Tennessee