Optimize Planting Decisions in Soybean, Based on Date of Planting - Dr. Manni Singh, Michigan State University, from the 2020 Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, held March 3-4, 2020, Ada, OH, USA.

1. Adjusting Management Practices to Account for
Variable Soybean Planting Time
Maninder (Manni) Singh
Cropping Systems Agronomist
Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, MSU
msingh@msu.edu; agronomy.msu.edu

2. 2019 Michigan Growing Season

3. Variable Planting Window
ØChanging climate (extreme weather events)
ØPoor field conditions for planting
ØNeed to adjust agronomic practices based on planting
time?
Source: GLISA

4. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Conditions
• Cool, wet soil
• Extended growing season
ØMid Season
ØLate Season
• Typically adequate soil temperature
and moisture
• Lack of soil moisture
• Growing season is shortened

5. Planting Date Impacts Yield- Ohio

6. Planting Date Impacts Yield- Michigan
How to
Improve Yield
Potential
OR Minimize
Input Cost
Increased Profit

7. Research Questions
Ø Maturity group (MG)
selection
§ Later MG when planting early?
§ Early MG when planting late?
Ø Seeding rate
§ Variable based on planting
date?
Ø Seed treatment
§ Are benefits dependent on
environment?
1.5
2.0
2.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
1.0
1.5
2.0
Late PD Early PD
Ø Adjusting agronomic practices
based on time of planting

8. Research Questions
Ø Maturity group (MG) selection
§ Later MG when planting early?
§ Early MG when planting late?
3.52.5
3.0
3.5
Late PD Early PD
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.0
4.5

9. Ø Two Years and two locations
Ø Planting Date (4)
§ Early-season (late-April)
§ Mid-season (mid-May)
§ Late-season (early-June)
§ Very Late-season (late-June)
Ø Maturity Group (6)
§ 1.0 – 3.5 (0.5 intervals)
Ø Seeding Rate (5)
§ 50k – 210k seeds/a
Ø Seed Treatment (2)
§ Complete seed treatment
§ No seed treatment
Saginaw
Mason
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
1.5
2.0
2.5
Saginaw
Mason
Research Questions

11. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Management Practices
ØMid Season
ØLate Season

12. Early Season Planting – MG Selection
Mason

13. Early Season Planting – MG Selection
Mason
SVREC SVREC
Mason
2018 2019

14. R7
Aug 27
Sept 10
Sept 22
Sept 14
Sept 17
Sept 26
Sept 26
Oct 5
Oct 15
Oct 15
Oct 23
Oct 26
First killing freeze:
Oct. 17
Phenology 2018

15. Aug 30
Sep 07
Sep 25
Sep 04
Sep 14
Sep 25
Sep 12
Sep 23
Oct 04
Sep 28
Oct 12
Oct 14
R7
Phenology 2019
First killing freeze:
Oct. 26

16. Yield Components

17. Phenology 2019

18. 50,000
Seeds/A
90,000
Seeds/A
130,000
Seeds/A
170,000
Seeds/A
210,000
Seeds/A
3.9 Branches 3.3 Branches 2.3 Branches 2.0 Branches 1.6 Branches
Low pod: 3.0” Low pod: 3.2” Low pod: 3.8” Low pod: 4.2” Low pod: 4.3”

19. Early Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
• No relationship between
plant stand and profits
$9.39/bu – seed cost - discounts

20. How about Weed Control?

21. How about Weed Control?
Early PD Mid PD Late PD Very Late PD
Planting date
WeedCount(ft
-2
)
020406080100
210k
170k
130k
90k
50k

22. Early Season Planting – Seed Treatment
48° 81°
Soil Temp @
Planting

23. Early Season Planting – Seed Treatment
No impact on profits• Improved stand in 2018
• No differences in 2019
Plant Stand Profit

24. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Management Practices
• Longer maturity group can improve yield
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
ØMid Season
ØLate Season
(late April – early May)
(mid May – early June)
(mid June – late June)

25. Mid Season Planting – MG Selection
2018 SVREC 2019 SVREC

26. Mid Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
• No relationship between
plant stand and profits
$9.39/bu – seed cost - discounts

27. Mid Season Planting – Seed Treatment
Plant Stand Profits

28. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Management Practices
• Longer maturity group can improve yield
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
ØMid Season
ØLate Season
• Limited impact from changing maturity groups
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
(potential for reducing seeding rate)
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
(late April – early May)
(mid May – early June)
(mid June – late June)

29. Mason
SVREC
Mason
SVREC
Late Season Planting – MG Selection
2018 2019

30. Late Season Planting – Harvest Moisture

31. Late Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
• Positive relationship between
plant stand and yield

32. Late Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
• Positive relationship between
plant stand and profits
$9.39/bu – seed cost - discounts

33. Late Season Planting – Seed Treatment
No impact on profit
Plant Stand Profit
• Improved stand in 2018
• No differences in 2019

34. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Management Practices
• Longer maturity group can improve yield
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
ØMid Season
ØLate Season
• Limited impact from changing maturity groups
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
(potential for reducing seeding rate)
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
• Shorter maturity group can avoid poor seed
quality
• Increasing seeding rate can improve yield
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
(late April – early May)
(mid May – early June)
(mid June – late June)

35. Planting Time
ØEarly Season
Management Practices
• Longer maturity group can improve yield
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
ØMid Season
ØLate Season
• Limited impact from changing maturity groups
• No benefit from increasing seeding rate
(potential for reducing seeding rate)
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
• Shorter maturity group can avoid poor seed
quality
• Increasing seeding rate can improve yield
• Seed treatment- limited to stand improvement
(late April – early May)
(mid May – early June)
(mid June – late June)

36. § Tom Siler
§ Bill Widdicombe
§ Lori Williams
§ Paul Horny
§ Mike Particka
§ Dr. Chris Difonzo
§ Dr. Dechun Wang
§ Charles Scovill
§ Feldpaush Farms
Questions?
Manni Singh
517-353-0226
msingh@msu.edu
§ Katlin Fusilier
§ Kalvin Canfield
§ Harkirat Kaur
§ Kyle Imwalle
§ Lucas Para
§ All current and past
undergraduate
students
Acknowledgments
agronomy.msu.edu

37. § Establish uniform plant stand (plants/area)
§ Set and retain more pods (pods/plant)
§ Increase number of seeds/pod
§ Maximize seed weight (seeds/kg)
What can be done to POSITIVELY influence
these yield components?
Soybean Yield Components

38. Yield Components
Taller Plants
Increased number
of Nodes with
pods
Increased number
of pods

39. 10.5 11 10.9 12.5 12.2 14
32.5 34.1 32.6 39.9 44.5 43.3
2147 2330 2254 2416 2817 2919
25.5 24 25 32 31 38

40. Ø Adjusting management practices to time of planting is a
viable way to improve soybean production.
Ø Early planting- Benefits of early-season planting can be
expanded upon with use of longer maturity group.
Ø Consequences of late-season planting can be mitigated
with increased planting population and selection of
shorter maturity group.
Ø The benefits of a seed treatment are specific to
environmental conditions.
Conclusion

41. Early Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
No relationship between
plant stand and yield

42. Early Season Planting – Seed Treatment
No impact on yield• Improved stand in 2018
• No differences in 2019
Plant Stand Yield

43. Mid Season Planting – Seeding Rate
SVREC
Mason
No relationship between
plant stand and yield

44. Mid Season Planting – Seed Treatment
Plant Stand Yield

45. Late Season Planting – Seed Treatment
No impact on yield
Plant Stand Yield
• Improved stand in 2018
• No differences in 2019

46. Soybean on-farm Trials (2019)

47. Weed Community Composition

48. Weed Community Composition
Bayer Code Latin Name Common Name
AMAPO
Amaranthus
powellii Powell amaranth
AMBEL
Ambrosia
artemisiifolia
common
ragweed
ANGR annual grasses
CAPBP
Capsella bursa-
pastoris shepherd's-purse
CHEAL
Chenopodium
album
common
lambsquarters
CYPES
Cyperus
esculentus yellow nutsedge
ERICA
Conyza
canadensis
marestail/
horseweed
POROL
Portulaca
oleracea
common
purslane
SOPT
Solanum
ptychanthum
eastern black
nightshade
STEME Stellaria media
common
chickweed
TAROF
Taraxacum
officinale dandelion
Early
Late

49. Early Planting Date- More Diverse Weed Community

50. R7 R7 Difference
Late-April: MG 1.0 Aug 30 Aug 15 15 days
Late-April: MG 2.0 Sep 07 Sep 05 02 days
Late-April: MG 3.0 Sep 25 Sep 15 10 days
Mid-May: MG 1.0 Sep 04 Aug 23 12 days
Mid-May: MG 2.0 Sep 14 Sep 07 07 days
Mid-May: MG 3.0 Sep 25 Sep 17 08 days
Early-June: MG 1.0 Sep12 Aug 30 13 days
Early-June: MG 2.0 Sep 23 Sep 14 09 days
Early-June: MG 3.0 Oct 04 Sep 24 10 days
Late-June: MG 1.0 Sep 28 Sep 13 15 days
Late-June: MG 2.0 Oct 12 Sep 30 12 days
Late-June: MG 3.0 Oct 14 Oct 13 01 days
SoyWater 2019
SoyWaterObserved
Average: 9.5 days