Soybean Planting Tips
May 05, 2021
Spring is here and so is the time to plant soybeans. Starting with a clean field, protecting your seed with seed treatments, and understanding your seed trait packages are key to a great soybean crop.
Start Clean
Starting with a weed-free seed bed is important in all crops. Weeds present during Spring steal nutrients, moisture, and space from emerging crops. With recent rains, new weeds will be germinating and emerging soon in fields that do not have a residual product on them. It is extremely important to understand planting restrictions that are associated with burndown products. Some products like 2,4-d or dicamba may require you to delay planting up to 30 days after application. Paraquat is an option that allows you to plant without a waiting period.
Applying a pre-emerge residual product after planting continues to be an important and economical decision when planting soybeans. Residual products can help stave off early germination of competitive weeds and help give post emerge products a chance to do their job. Relying on Post Emerge only products will reduce the efficacy life of those products and help speed up weed resistance development.
Protect your Seed from Day 1
Conditions for planting are usually not ideal. Mostly because we live in Kansas and the weather can’t decide if it wants to be hot, cold, wet, or dry from day to day! Using seed treatments, you can help protect your seed from early season risks.
Fungicide seed treatments can help protect your seed from diseases such as Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia that can be present in moist soils or carried on the seed itself. The earlier and cooler the soil, the more important it is to add a fungicide.
Seed applied insecticides can help protect from insects and some include nematode protection. Nematodes are especially persistent in sandy soils.
Inoculants are live nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can help improve nodulation and nitrogen fixation. This bacteria can be found naturally in soil as well, but inoculating your soybeans can help kick off a strong start to nodulation.
To learn more about soybean seed treatments, contact our Seed Department today!
Soybean Traits
Understanding which soybean traits you have in a field is imperative with so many options on the market. Choosing the wrong herbicide product in season could mean disaster for your field.
Xtend® Soybeans –
For further tips to planting soybeans, reach out to your Great Bend Co-op Salesperson today!
Start Clean
Starting with a weed-free seed bed is important in all crops. Weeds present during Spring steal nutrients, moisture, and space from emerging crops. With recent rains, new weeds will be germinating and emerging soon in fields that do not have a residual product on them. It is extremely important to understand planting restrictions that are associated with burndown products. Some products like 2,4-d or dicamba may require you to delay planting up to 30 days after application. Paraquat is an option that allows you to plant without a waiting period.
Applying a pre-emerge residual product after planting continues to be an important and economical decision when planting soybeans. Residual products can help stave off early germination of competitive weeds and help give post emerge products a chance to do their job. Relying on Post Emerge only products will reduce the efficacy life of those products and help speed up weed resistance development.
Protect your Seed from Day 1
Conditions for planting are usually not ideal. Mostly because we live in Kansas and the weather can’t decide if it wants to be hot, cold, wet, or dry from day to day! Using seed treatments, you can help protect your seed from early season risks.
Fungicide seed treatments can help protect your seed from diseases such as Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia that can be present in moist soils or carried on the seed itself. The earlier and cooler the soil, the more important it is to add a fungicide.
Seed applied insecticides can help protect from insects and some include nematode protection. Nematodes are especially persistent in sandy soils.
Inoculants are live nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can help improve nodulation and nitrogen fixation. This bacteria can be found naturally in soil as well, but inoculating your soybeans can help kick off a strong start to nodulation.
To learn more about soybean seed treatments, contact our Seed Department today!
Soybean Traits
Understanding which soybean traits you have in a field is imperative with so many options on the market. Choosing the wrong herbicide product in season could mean disaster for your field.
Xtend® Soybeans –
- Xtend® soybeans are tolerant to Dicamba products.
- There are specific products that can be used in-season on these soybeans, including XtendiMax®, Engenia®, and Tavium®. These are the ONLY products approved to be used in-season on DT soybeans and each has specific tankmix partner options. Click on each product to learn more.
- One huge change this year to be aware of is that the glyphosate product in the same tank MUST BE a K-Salt product. This eliminates many of the glyphosates on the market from being IN the same tank as these dicamba products.
- XtendFlex® soybeans are tolerant to dicamba, glyphosate, and glufosinate (Liberty). Again, products that can be applied legally to these soybeans are limited and the label should be closely followed.
- Learn more about XtendFlex® HERE
- Enlist® soybeans are tolerant to a specific 2,4-D that is designed to go over the top of these specific soybeans.
- Enlist® E3® are also glyphosate AND glufosinate tolerant.
- Learn More about Enlist® HERE
- These soybeans are tolerant to glufosinate products such as Ignite® herbicide.
We strongly encourage you to understand your trait package and read and follow the label on the herbicides. The label is the Law.
Once you have determined which trait package your soybeans have, it is important to get with your Great Bend Co-op Salesperson and let them know what you will be needing for the season. These products are in high demand and low inventory, so helping us plan for the season will be very important to procuring enough product.For further tips to planting soybeans, reach out to your Great Bend Co-op Salesperson today!