Still Working on Planting Soybean?

The majority of the soybean acres in Ohio have been planted.  (According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 85% of the soybean acres were planted by May 31.)  However, even if 5% of the soybean acres are not yet planted, with 5.1 million acres of soybean in Ohio, there are still 255,000 acres left to plant.  There are three things to consider when planting soybean in June: 1.) row width, 2.) seeding rate, and 3.) relative maturity.

Row width.  When planting soybean in June, if possible, row width should be 7.5-inches to maximize light intercepted by the plant.

Seeding rate.  When planting soybean in the first half of June, a seeding rate of 200,000 to 225,000 seeds per acre is recommended in the Ohio Agronomy Guide.  According to on-farm trials conducted by the Ag Crops Team, 155,000 plants per acreat harvest is needed to maximize yield when planting soybean in June.

Relative maturity.  When planting late, the rule of thumb is to plant the latest-maturing variety that will reach maturity before the first killing frost.  The table (adapted from the Ohio Agronomy Guide) gives recommended relative maturity based on plant date.  Recommendations are based on years with normal weather and frost dates.  Late-maturing varieties are recommended for late planting to maximize vegetative growth before flowering begins.

Table 1. Recommended relative maturity ranges for soybean varieties planted in June in northern, central, and southern Ohio (adapted from Ohio Agronomy Guide).