[University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Research and Extension University of Arkansas System. Arkansas Soybean Promotion
Board. Ryan Van Roekel, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of
Arkansas System]
Hi, I’m Ryan Van Roekel, Ph.D. graduate student
working with Dr. Larry Purcell on the maximum yield of soybeans. We’re here
today in Newport, Ark., to harvest one of my strip trials. [Ryan stands in a
soybean field that has been defoliated.]
What we have here for a strip trial is
essentially a large scale variety trial, where we have five different varieties
replicated across this field. [Video shows a combine in the field.] There are
12 rows of each variety. [Slide shows a table of numbers.] And we are harvesting
them one at a time and weighing them on a weigh wagon to determine bushels per
acre. [Ryan standing in a field]
So far from the first few plots we’ve taken out,
we’re in the lower nineties with one plot even topping 98 bushels per acre.
We’re hoping to continue that upward trend. [Video shows a combine]
Our goal for this research was 100 bushels per
acre. I don’t think we’re going to average quite that high, but we’re getting
very close. [Video shows a combine harvesting soybeans and then transferring
harvest from the combine to a weigh wagon.] We feel that one of the biggest
limitations to our yields this year was the weather. We had very high
temperatures during flowering and pod set, which may have resulted in more pods
being aborted and lowering our yields.
[Ryan standing in a field] Some of the management
practices that increased our yields in this field were early planting, timely
and frequent irrigation, strict pest management and using excellent varieties.
In addition, we’ve also applied supplemental
nitrogen to this field in the form of urea being flown on late season, into the
R5 and mid-R5 and R6 growth stages. [Video shows a digital scale.] Dr Purcell
and I believe that soybeans fixing up nitrogen in general to maximize yields in
Arkansas. [Video shows a combine.] However as yields approach and increase
above 80 bushels per acre, supplemental nitrogen may be an important management
factor to maximize our yields.
[Ryan standing in a field] This research was
funded by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and Pioneer Hybrid and we’ll be
doing this again next year. [Slide – Research funding provided by Arkansas
Soybean Promotion Board and Pioneer – a DuPont Business.]
For more information and our results, log onto www.uaex.edu. Thanks.
[www.uaex.edu.
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension University
of Arkansas System. Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board]
University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
2301 South University Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72204 • USA
Phone (501) 671-2000 • Fax (501) 671-2209
