Tips to Manage a Soybean-on-Soybean Rotation
Are you looking at planting soybeans into soybean stubble for the 2018 crop year? Here are some helpful tips that will make this rotation a success.
The first and probably most crucial decision in planting a soybean-on-soybean rotation is variety selection. Second-year soybeans are very susceptible to diseases that overwinter in soybean residue. To set yourself up for success from the start, we need to take this into consideration. Select a variety based on its disease package and not necessarily where it ranks for yield. Some diseases that are of concern in this situation are fusarium, pythium, phytophthora, rhizoctonia, and white mold. High yielding varieties perform well but do not tend to have the best disease resistance.
We also recommend treating your soybean seed with a quality fungicide product at a full application rate, such as Ilevo. Ilevo is a great insurance policy to help fight against sudden death syndrome. It is critical to keep the seedling healthy from the start to maximize yield.
Once your seed is selected, soil fertility levels are where we look next; especially phosphorus and potassium. Soybeans demand a lot of potash. If your fertility is lacking, sustaining your plants and capitalizing on yield might be a bit of a challenge. However, supplying your crop with adequate nutrients will help lead you to a plentiful harvest.
Our last tip for planting a soybean-on-soybean rotation involves planning an aggressive chemical program. As our goal with any crop rotation, weed free is our preferred way to go. When removing the crop rotation, managing weed populations become more of a challenge. We suggest a strong residual pre-emergence as well as an early post chemical mix that has multiple modes of action. As we see with other non-rotations, weed control gets a lot more difficult. Staying on top of or ahead of your weed pressure will only help your case in the end. That applies to fungicide application as well. A fungicide will not only help boost plant health, it will help combat late-season diseases. Another way to look at it? The perfect batch of icing on the cake!
All of these management practices paired together can help you have a successful second-year soybean crop.