Should growers plant soybeans in narrower 15-inch rows or should they go wide and plant at 30 inches? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner has been listening to the debate for years, and rather than taking sides, he likes to focus on the fact that growers can choose an… Read More
Category: Soybean Disease, Weeds & Insects
An open fall, warm winter temperatures, and a mild spring that has now turned cool and wet all add up to big weed control challenges as the calendar gets ready to turn to May. From cover crops that refused to die under snow cover, to hardy oats, tough annuals and an abundance of volunteer wheat,… Read More
Saskatchewan soybean production has been a roller coaster ride over the past decade. In 2013, growers planted 170,000 acres of the oilseed. Growing enthusiasm for the crop pushed acres higher to 850,000 in 2017, but since that time weather challenges and poor yields have caused acres to plunge — just over 45,000 acres were planted… Read More
It’s been 20 years since soybean aphids were first reported in Ontario soybean fields. Over the years, growers and researchers have learned that no two years seem to be the same and populations of the yield-robbing pests vary from year-to-year. There has, however, been significant changes to aphid behaviour over the years and this evolution… Read More
The Christmas presents have been opened and you’ve finished the turkey leftovers. What’s next for the holidays? Why not binge soybean videos! The RealAgriculture Soybean School published 30 videos in 2022 and here’s your chance to see what you missed or do a double take on your favourite episodes. The 2022 season kicked off with… Read More
The final tally hasn’t been published yet, but 2022 will go down as the new record high year for soybean yields in Western Canada, mainly southern Manitoba. Statistics Canada’s latest provincial estimate came in at 43 bushels/acre, up from 27 bu/ac in 2021 (see graph below), but Dennis Lange, Manitoba Agriculture’s pulse specialist, says he… Read More
Winter is not always kind to fall-planted wheat. Sometimes thin stands and winter kill make for a poor economic outlook and growers need to take it out and plant another crop. What do growers need to think about if they decide to switch to soybeans? Are there implications if a cereal herbicide had been applied… Read More
Two herbicides are better than one, right? That’s the goal when products are tank-mixed together, but they don’t always deliver better weed control when antagonism occurs. Antagonism takes place when two or more herbicides are combined and results in lower weed control than if they had been applied separately. This most often occurs when a… Read More
Combines are rolling and as soybeans move to the bin, agronomists are reminding growers that the potential for an open fall presents a great opportunity for weed control. BASF agronomist Ken Currah says fall is the perfect time to tackle tough weeds like dandelion, Canada thistle and perennial sow thistle. “This is the time to… Read More
More and more cases of waterhemp are being discovered, and last year, Manitoba saw its first confirmed finding of Palmer amaranth. As many producers are painfully aware — both weeds can be extra difficult to control, and herbicide resistance has only increased. Manitoba’s neighbour to the south is no stranger to either weed, with the… Read More
As soybean cyst nematode (SCN) wriggles its way north, Western Canadian farmers can look to southern neighbours for advice on managing this pest. Sam Markell, extension plant pathologist with North Dakota State University (NDSU), says that late in the growing season is an excellent time to test for the pest. A core sample taken six… Read More
With the days of September ticking by, some soybean growers may be getting antsy to desiccate and get harvest underway; however, timing a pre-harvest application is critical to maximize yields and reap the rewards of the growing season. For this Soybean School episode, Rob Miller, agronomist with BASF, talks about what to look for when… Read More
A nice late July rain is a great way to kick off soybean grain fill. It also helps control pests like spider mites before they can set up shop in the maturing crop. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, we visit with PRIDE Seeds market agronomist Matt Chapple at the company’s education centre at… Read More
Researchers at Laval University in Quebec have developed a hydroponic lab test that could allow growers and agronomists to better deploy genetic resistance and tolerance in the fight against phytophthora root rot in soybeans. There are three main ways to curb phytophthora, explains Geneviève Arsenault-Labrecque, co-founder of AYOS Technologies, a spinoff founded by students at Laval, in… Read More
Keeping a close eye on crop canopy development can help growers better manage soybean crops. From helping select the best row spacing for a specific variety, to improving weed control there’s much to learn from understanding the speed at which a soybean variety closes the row as well as plant characteristics and architecture. On this… Read More