Soybean has a large nitrogen (N) requirement. Indeed, soybean requires about four times more N per bushel produced than corn. On average, soybean needs to absorb 4.8 lbs of N per bushel produced. Hence, a soybean crop that produces 50 bu/ac (similar to current Nebraska average) will need to absorb 240 lbs N per acre.
Averaged across two years, the sensor-based N fertigation treatment consistently resulted in higher profit and nitrogen use efficiency. The use of fertigation offers the unique capability to minimize N losses by reacting to slight N deficiencies in corn by applying N multiple times throughout the season with lower application rates.
Figure 1. TerrAvion aerial imagery taken on Aug 4, 2017 at Chase County site showing less vigor and higher thermal stress in 30-inch row soybeans than in 15-inch row soybeans.
While continuous corn is the most common cropping sequence in southwest Nebraska, adding soybeans to a rotation could help break pest cycles. On-farm research comparing 15- and 30-inch soybean row spacing found increased yields of 4-12 bu/ac with an average 7 bu/ac increase with 15-inch rows.
This report synthesizes the results of seven on-farm research studies of using Torque™, a seed or furrow-applied growth promoter, in Nebraska between 2010 and 2015.
University researchers report results from studies conducted on herbicide tolerance trait, row spacing (15-inch vs. 30-inch), and soybean maturities (early vs. late) at three locations of the Soybean Management Field Days in summer 2017.
Cover crops offer many benefits, such as improved soil heath and reduced erosion. The challenges lie in the details, including what cover crops to use and how to use them. The Feb. 15 Nebraska Cover Crop Conference tackles these topics for growers using a corn/soybean rotation.
Crop modelers wrap up their forecasts of rainfed and irrigated corn yields across the Corn Belt for 2017, noting above-average yields for about 80% of the irrigated sites and more than 60% of the rainfed sites. Irrigated yields ranged from 11%-17% over long-term averages at those sites and rainfed yields at those sites were 13%-40% above average. View data for all the sites.
Forecasts for end-of-season corn yields improved across much of the Corn Belt since the early August forecast. View crop stage and yield forecasts as well as weather data. In Nebraska predictions are for near to above average corn yields for most sites, except northeast and northwest sites.
