Eastern Ontario Crop Conference 2016

2. Image source: www.prevention.com

3. Myth: soybean contains estrogen.
• Soybean contain isoflavones, sometimes
called “phytoestrogens”
• Not the same as the hormone estrogen
• 1/100-1/10000 activity of mammalian
estrogen
• Man boobs not caused by soybean! 

5. Foliar Fungicides
• Control many of the common foliar fungal
diseases.
• Longer green leaf retention – delayed
senescence.
• Improves CO2 assimilation
• Increases water use efficiency
• Increases stress tolerance

6. HeadlineUntreated

9. Soybean Growth Stages
May 15 June 15 July 15 August 15 Sept. 15 Oct. 15
Vegetative Growth
Flowering
Pod Development
Seed Filling Period
Vegetative only
Vegetative plus
Reproductive
Reproductive only

10. 66.9 b
60.8 c
62.4 b
69.3a
62.6b
63.7 b
67.6b
63.9a
65.9a
54
58
62
66
70
74
Soybean foliar fungicide timing
Meta-analysis 6 location-years
Mean separation at p=0.05
Hooker (UG)
Yield (bu/ac)
R2none R4
2013 2014
n=48 observations per mean (4 reps x 3 cultivars x 2 fungicides x 2 locations)
Mean separation within year Fisher’s Protected LSD (0.05)
R2none R4 R2none R4
2015
Hooker (UG)

11. Flower on
upper 2 nodes
Pod 3/16” long on
upper 4 nodes
Pod 3/4” long on
upper 4 nodes
R2 R3 R4
Hooker (UGRC)

12. 66.9 b
60.8 c
62.4 b
69.3a
62.6b
63.7 b
67.6b
63.9a
65.9a
54
58
62
66
70
74
Soybean foliar fungicide timing
Meta-analysis 6 location-years
Mean separation at p=0.05
Hooker (UG)
Yield (bu/ac)
R2none R4
2013 2014
n=48 observations per mean (4 reps x 3 cultivars x 2 fungicides x 2 locations)
Mean separation within year Fisher’s Protected LSD (0.05)
R2none R4 R2none R4
2015
Hooker (UG)

13. Two Applications of Foliar Fungicides
Increased Yields over 5 bu/ac
Bu/ac Adv.
1) Untreated 49.1 de
2) Priaxor in- furrow 48.6 de
3) Priaxor (V4) 47.8 e
4) Priaxor (R2) 50.9 bc 1.8
5) Priaxor (R4) 50.9 bc 1.8
6) Priaxor (R2) 54.3 a 5.2
+ Acapela (R4)
2014, 6 Ontario trials, 3 replications

14. No White Mould Present in 2015
1) Untreated 61.1
2) Priaxor in- furrow 62.1
3) Priaxor (V6) 63.5
4) Priaxor (R2) 63.9
5) Priaxor (R4) 64.4
6) Stratego Pro (R2) 63.0
7) Allegro (R2) 61.7
8) Acapela (R2) 64.1
9) Allegro (R2) + Acapela (R3) 64.9
10) Priaxor (R2) + Acapela (R3) 64.7
2015, 2 Ontario trials, 3 replications

15. Fungicide Summary
• Yield gains are more consistent with 2 applications (3 - 5 bu/ac)
White Mould (2 applications)
– Plan to spray at late R1 and then again at R3 (10-14 days later).
Spraying at R2 then again at R4 is also effective.
Other Foliar Diseases (1 application)
– Plan to spray at R2-R3. Spraying can be delayed up to R4 if
disease pressure or weather conditions warrant later spraying
• Yield response is highest under moderate disease pressure, with
higher plant populations, beans following beans, and in high
yielding fields

17. y = 0.971x - 1873
y = 2.111x - 4094
y = 0.333x - 626.17
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Yield(bu/ac)
CORN
SOY
WHEAT
Yield Trends in Ontario of Corn, Soybean, Winter Wheat
1981-2015
35 lbs P2O5, 25 K2O
30 lbs P2O5, 18 K2O
28 lbs P2O5, 46 K2O
80% yield increase
63 lbs P2O5, 45 K2O
65% yield increase
50 lbs P2O5, 30 K2O
35% yield increase
37 lbs P2O5, 61 K2O
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18. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
MERP(kg-P2O5/ha)
Soil Test P (ppm)
Band
Broadcast
Max Economic Rate of P in Corn
77 research trials in #OntAg 1969-2010
Source: Janovicek, Rosser, Stewart (2015)
C
C
C
C
C
C C
C C
C Current OMAFRA recs
Conclusion:
OMAFRA’s current soil
test rec for P in corn
seems “sufficient” 
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19. Soybean
• 54 trials 2008-2013
• Low probability of economic response to a dry
starter fertilizer blend when:
• Soil test P >12 ppm
• Soil test K >100 ppm
Source: Janovicek, Rosser, Stewart (2015)
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20. Best Fertilizer Mgmt. Approach?
1. “Sufficiency”
2. “Build and maintain”
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21. Ontario Long-term P+K Trials
• 5-6 starter treatments x 4 background
P+K levels
• Elora, Lucan, Bornholm and Ridgetown
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22. Hooker (UG)
Low soil test P = 7 ppm
No starter P applied
Mod. Soil test P = 20 ppm
No starter P applied
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23. Soybean yield response to background fertility and starter fertilizer
Elora, ONTARIO. 2015
Bohner (OMAFRA) 2016Mean separation within column statistically significant at P=0.10.
Starter (per ac)
Background soil test P and K
P=10
K=71
P=27
K=109
bu/ac
No Fertilizer 40 b
6-24-6 @ 5 gal (IF) 42 ab
MAP @ 100 lbs (2x2) 40 b
0-0-60 @ 80 lbs (2x2) 44 a
6-28-28 @ 180 lbs (2x2) 45 a
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24. Soybean yield response to background fertility and starter fertilizer
Elora, ONTARIO. 2015
Bohner (OMAFRA) 2016Mean separation within column statistically significant at P=0.10.
Starter (per ac)
Background soil test P and K
P=10
K=71
P=27
K=109
bu/ac
No Fertilizer 40 b 56
6-24-6 @ 5 gal (IF) 42 ab 52
MAP @ 100 lbs (2x2) 40 b 58
0-0-60 @ 80 lbs (2x2) 44 a 52
6-28-28 @ 180 lbs (2x2) 45 a 56
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25. • Sufficiency approach: no
• Build and maintain approach:
no official recs yet; under review.
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27. Archeological and radiocarbon dating
in the last 65 years has revealed that at
least 30 crops are much older
including:
Rice, lentil, common beans, faba bean,
foxtail millet, wheat, maize, and
chickpeas
The oldest records of soybeans date
back to only 1100 BC

32. Untreated

33. 125 K

34. 2-20-18
(3 gallons)

35. #EOCC16
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36. K deficiency in soybean
Can you see the old corn rows?
Hooker, UGRC (2011)
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37. #EOCC16
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38. Soybean maturity groups
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39. Source: Jiang et al. (2014)
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40. Soybean flowering
• Photoperiod*
• Temperature (CHU accumulated)*
• Rate of change of photoperiod*
(Cober, AAFC)
• Light intensity*
(Cober, AAFC)
• Controlled by 8 genes
• Maturity also controlled by photoperiod
and temperature*
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42. 50 lbs N/ac
broadcast @
planting
No N Fertilizer


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43. Planted: April 29, 2010
Photo: July 7
Planted: June 22, 2011
Photo: July 7
Yield?

44. July 26/2011
Lucan, 57 bu/ac

46. What is Vertical Tillage?

47. Crop Residue on Crop Performance
 why the currrent issue?

48. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Yield(bu/ac)
Year
Ontario corn yield from 1981 to
present  High corn yield
 Weather
 Genetics (BT)
 Maturity
 Fungicide
 Higher seeding
rates
 Earlier soybean
planting
OMAFRA, 2011

49. Residue
Removed
Heavy
Residue

50. Coulters create soil action

51. Thelen Farms, 2014
Various tillage tools

52. Thelen Farms, 2014

54. What we learned
• VT of corn residue in the fall or spring generally
increased the rate of emergence but had little effect on
final plant stand or yield.
• Fall VT sized corn residue but did not cause a significant
reduction in surface volume at planting.
• Spring VT reduced surface corn residue by 25 to 33%
because the residue shattered and was covered with
soil.
• Fall VT residue can move with wind and water.
• Little benefit from two passes. Excessive residue
reduction, seedbed too loose.

57. Source: Dr. Ross Bender (Mosaic)

58. Soybean yield components:
Yield =
# plants per acre
x # pods per plant
x # seeds per pod
x seed weight

59. How to increase pod # & seed wt.?
• Plant early, full-season cultivars
Adriana G. Kantolic, and Gustavo A. Slafer Ann Bot 2007;99:925-933
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60. How to increase pod # & seed wt.?
• Manage for high crop growth rates
during R-stages.
Jiang and Egli (1995)
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61. QUESTIONS?
Horst Bohner horst.bohner@ontario.ca
Dave Hooker dhooker@uoguelph.ca
@cropdoc2