Firsttime Trying Soybeans

[kabic]

I changed the title of thread from rag doll test to a more generic soybean title and will expand this to document my soybean plot.

I'm trying soybeans for the first time this year...3 bags that I purchased from NWTF.

Here are the result of my rag doll test.



If I count these I have almost 100% germination. I seem to be missing a bean.


These are 2 year old soybeans I got from NWTF.

 

[wiscwhip]

Good to go and you should have to adjust the planting rate much at all. :cool:

 

[biglakeba$$]

When i do germination tests i count every seed that pops anything out....
Is that a bad count on my part???

 

[wiscwhip]

IMHO, I don't think so, I would count it. It is a germination test, not a test to see if you can get the plant to take root and reach maturity, way to many other variables involved in that.

 

[kabic]

I'm not really sure. Those 4 beans were the smallest so I wasn't sure if I should count them. On the other hand they did sprout.

I found my missing bean on the back side of the paper towel. It got push through.

 

[wiscwhip]

If the smallest ones sprouted, you should have no issue with any of the "healthier" looking seeds.

 

[kabic]

By smallest I meant amount of growth. ..but in general I'm really happy with them. I was worried with a 3\2013 test date they would have poor germination but it seems really good. I just need to get them in the ground. ...hopefully next weekend.

 

[wiscwhip]

By smallest I meant amount of growth. ..but in general I'm really happy with them. I was worried with a 3\2013 test date they would have poor germination but it seems really good. I just need to get them in the ground. ...hopefully next weekend.

If it popped, it counts. "Growth" in a ragdoll test isn't necessarily indicative of anything that will carry over into the field. Germination is germination, your actual field conditions will dictate the rest. I think next weekend will be good for you kabic, over in the Central WI sinkhole in Juneau Co, we used to wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant beans. I remember we had frost a few times in very early June in the low pockets back years ago and that sand would stay pretty cool down about 3" into the root zone, so the growth would be very slow anyways. After the couple of cooler days that are in the forecast over the next few days, I think you will be good to go by the weekend.

 

[kabic]

I planted most of my soybeans Saturday afternoon\Sunday Morning. I dugout a few stumps with the 1023e, but there are still plenty left. I got out enough just to make it a little easier to till around the remaining ones. The section with the stumps was the middle section of the plot and I first attempted to use the earthway planter. That turned out to be more effort than it was worth. I probably had the wrong size plate on but wasn't sure where the other plates were. I started getting seeds jammed behind the plate and they would stop it from turning. I ended up just tossing out the seeds by hand and then used the wheels of the tractor to pack it down good.

I hoped to beat the rain Sunday morning and got to the farm early. While tilling I got a 10 inch section of car frame with a spring bracket wedged in the tiller. Spent some time getting that unjammed. I learned from the Father-in-Law the little plot of land I'm working used to have cattle on it in the 60's and also rows of junk cars. Its been in trees since I have see it, with just last 3 or 4 years some of the trees being cleared out for fire wood, with the goal of it being the site for a new shed in a few years.

By the time I finished tilling the front section by the driveway it was already raining lightly. By the time I finished tilling the back section I was pretty much soaked. I spread out the seed by hand, but it was too wet to try to pack it down using the tractor. Seems like I went a little heavier with the seed on Sunday than I did on Saturday...I thought I was going to have 1 bag extra seed and turns out I opened that bag Sunday and still have a a small plot to do by the corn field.

For fertilized I put down 3 bags of potash and 3 bags of pelletized lime.

Looks like we got about an inch of rain Sunday so hopefully I will get some good germination even through it was just broadcasted seed over tilled dirt in about half of the plot.

 

[MoLandOwner]

If it popped, it counts. "Growth" in a ragdoll test isn't necessarily indicative of anything that will carry over into the field. Germination is germination, your actual field conditions will dictate the rest. I think next weekend will be good for you kabic, over in the Central WI sinkhole in Juneau Co, we used to wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant beans. I remember we had frost a few times in very early June in the low pockets back years ago and that sand would stay pretty cool down about 3" into the root zone, so the growth would be very slow anyways. After the couple of cooler days that are in the forecast over the next few days, I think you will be good to go by the weekend.

Glad you mentioned all that. Cold germ can be way different than warm germ testing. There is a reason a bag of beans has 85-90% germ on the side when you can rag test and get every bean to sprout something out of the same bag! Good Info!

 

[wiscwhip]

Glad you mentioned all that. Cold germ can be way different than warm germ testing. There is a reason a bag of beans has 85-90% germ on the side when you can rag test and get every bean to sprout something out of the same bag! Good Info!

We were taught in high school ag class that in certain situations(like planting into cold early spring soils) we should do 2 ragdoll germ tests with the seed from each bag, one in a warm window sill and one in an area 15-20 degrees cooler, like a basement, and then average the 2 tests. This would supposedly give a more accurate germ test % in those situations, not sure of the reality of it, but it makes perfect sense at face value.

 

[kabic]

Photos of the plot, panning from left to right

Front section of plot:


The middle section of plot is behind these brush piles:


The back portion of the plot is down the bottle neck in the back of this photo and then to the right behind the trees.

 

[kabic]

Here is an earlier "aerial" photo of the middle section of plot taken from a ladder stand a few years ago.

I dugout the two stumps closest to the brush pile, the two on the far left and the two next the big stump in back left corner. Opened it up a nice L shaped area to till a little easier. I threw some seeds in by the stumps and edges of the brush pile as well. I figure once I spray they might have a change if they are germinate.

You can see a little of the back portion of the plot in this photo, back where there is snow on the ground

 

[MoLandOwner]

You may have a tough time getting the beans going in that small of area. I would plant at 300,000 seeds per acre, hoping the deer only eat half the plants.

Looks like a cool spot!

 

[kabic]

You may have a tough time getting the beans going in that small of area. I would plant at 300,000 seeds per acre, hoping the deer only eat half the plants.

Looks like a cool spot!

Mo,

I have been looking at http://www.acme.com/planimeter/ trying to determine the plot size and I have exceeded your recommendation of 300,000 seeds per acre. This plot looks to be a little less than an acre, and I put down 280,000 seeds (2 bags) + a little from a 3rd bag. I have another quarter acre field edge to plant, which will get the what remains of that 3rd bag.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Mo,

I have been looking at http://www.acme.com/planimeter/ trying to determine the plot size and I have exceeded your recommendation of 300,000 seeds per acre. This plot looks to be a little less than an acre, and I put down 280,000 seeds (2 bags) + a little from a 3rd bag. I have another quarter acre field edge to plant, which will get the what remains of that 3rd bag.

Roger that!

 

[wiscwhip]

What is the desired soil temp for bean planting?

Optimum soil temp is 77 degrees measured at 2" below the soil surface. They will germinate at around 50 degrees, but germ will be slow and likely uneven throughout the plot and can take up to 3 weeks to fully germinate.

 

[wiscwhip]

I figured this might give you a bit of an idea. I will check a couple more resources, but I think you will be fine. Since you're not "harvesting" these, 100% of expected yield isn't really on your radar.

"With later planting, expect some yield reductions; however, the soybeans planted later should emerge from the soil much more rapidly with the warmer soil temperatures.
Soybeans are sensitive to day length for initiating flowering and maturity; these events are triggered by the length of the night or dark period. When varieties are planted before the middle of June, flowering is triggered by shorter days after June 21. For each three to five day delay in planting, flowering and maturity are delayed only about one day. Therefore if you plant the same variety on May 10 and June 10 the blooming and maturity of the later planting is delayed about 6 to 10 days. This happens regardless of the maturity of the variety. If planting is going to be delayed to June 10, consider changing maturity a half a relative maturity group earlier than full season. Be aware you will lose about 1% of maximum production per day with delayed planting after June 1."

 

[kabic]

I took the opposite approach on my plot, I tilled under my clover, weeds, grasses and will spray after the soybeans sprout. If your doing a no till plot spraying first may be the way to go.

 

[wiscwhip]

Thanks whip. June 9th shouldn't be too late to plant .8 beans in central MN should it?

Stu, who recommended a .8 maturity bean for your area? I am thinking if you were to plant a "full-season" maturity bean in that area, you could be planting around a 1.3-1.5 MR bean. Given that fact and the recommendation that planting on or after June 10th warrants a .5 reduction in maturity rating, you should be right in the game.