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Replanting Decisions in Corn and Soybeans… What to Consider

Early plantings, cold air and soil temperatures, precipitation, wind, and warmer temperatures during or after planting may lead to reduced stands in planted fields due to factors such as imbibitional chilling, frost damage, soil crusting, and standing water. These factors (or combinations of them) can negatively affect seedling vigor, plant growth, crop establishment, and plant stands. Reduced stands may result in lower yields. If reduced stands are a concern, a potential solution is to replant fields. However, before replanting, here is a list of steps to consider:

Step 1. Wait… Plant stand should be assessed after ‘stable’ and ‘better’ conditions are achieved (e.g., warmer temperatures, good moisture conditions). Often, hasty decisions are not the best.

  • For corn, past work has shown that 50% emergence can be expected following accumulation of 150 soil GDDs (base of 50°F) from the time of planting, about 5-7 days under normal conditions.
  • For soybean, assess the stand at the VC growth stage. Visual stand assessment at the VE growth stage often underestimates the total number of plants that will emerge.

Step 2. Estimate the number of plants per acre from several areas within the field by conducting stand counts. Remember, field variability exists, and collecting stand counts from several representative areas is important (Figure 1).

corn

Figure 1. In-field plant emergence variability in corn. Left and right plants with more growth and development relative to the plant in the center. Source: Osler Ortez.

  • For corn, after estimating the number of plants per acre, use Table 1 to locate the expected yield of the plant stand depending on the planting date. Then, locate the expected replant yield by reading across from the expected replanting date to the stand that would be replanted. The difference between these numbers is the percentage yield change (increase or decrease) expected from replanting.

Table 1. University of Illinois Replant Chart Developed Under High Yielding Conditions (adapted from Nafziger, 1995-96).

 

Plants per acre at harvest

Planting Date

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

% of optimum yield

April 10

62

76

83

92

94

93

April 20

67

81

91

97

99

97

April 30

68

82

92

98

100

98

May 9

65

79

89

95

97

96

May 19

59

73

84

89

91

89

May 29

49

62

73

79

81

79

  • For soybean, replant is recommended only if the stand is less than 50,000 plants per acre. Although the stand will look poor, soybean plants can compensate for low plant populations by increasing the number of branches (Figure 2). In our research, going from 100,000 to 50,000 plants per acre resulted in only a 9 to 14% reduction in yield.

soybean

Figure 2. Soybean plants seeded at 100,000, 140,000, and 180,000 plants per acre. Source: Will Hamman.

 

Step 3. Check the weather forecast. How soon can you get back to the field to replant?

  • For corn, early planting dates with lower stands can still produce good yields. From past research, a stand of 20,000 plants per acre planted on April 20 can still yield 91% of the optimum.
  • For soybean, the date of planting has more effect on soybean grain yield than any other production practice. Yield loss resulting from delayed planting ranges from 0.25 to 1.0 bushel per acre per day. Replanting later may reduce yield more than having a low plant population.

 

Crop Observation and Recommendation Network

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.