C.O.R.N. Newsletter

June 22-23, some areas of Ohio received a significant amount of rain with some areas receiving as much as 4 to 5 inches.

When plants are completely underwater for approximately 24-48 hours under high temperatures (>80°F), they will likely die.  Plants respire more under high temperatures, oxygen is depleted, and carbon dioxide builds up suffocating the plant.  Cool, cloudy days and cool, clear nights increase the survival of a flooded soybean crop.  If the waters recede quickly and the plants receive some light rain, they can recover.

An array of bee and fly pollinator species are found in soybean, and can enhance yield even though soybeans are self-pollinating.  I will be conducting a study this summer to identify pollinator insects in Ohio soybean and I’m looking for cooperators with appropriate field sites for insect sampling.  Fields can be conventional or organic, but cannot be planted with an insecticidal seed treatment (fungicide is okay).  The minimum field size is 500 x 500 m (about 62 acres) to be able to sample far enough away from field edges.  The sampling device is a metal stake with a “bee bowl” mounted o

To estimate yield, four soybean yield components need to be considered: plants per acre, pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seeds per pound (seed size).  A printable worksheet to estimate soybean yield can be found by clicking here.  It is difficult to accurately predict soybean yield because of plant variability and fall weather conditions can influence seed size.  Estimates become more accurate as the growing season progresses.