Tricks To Increase Yields

By: Gene Johnston

Yes, you can still squeeze a few more bushels of corn and soybeans out of your fields. A project at Kansas State University (KSU) is pointing the way.

Researchers are testing advanced management practices to benefit both high-yielding corn and soybeans. Results so far provide an interesting contrast in how the two crops convert sunlight and nutrients into grain, and also show promise for better yields ahead.

NUTRIENTS FOR SOYBEANS

Soybeans fix nitrogen (N) on their root nodules to provide about 70% of the requirement. That’s why, for high yields, it’s important to implement best practices for an effective inoculation process at planting, says Ignacio Ciampitti, KSU Extension crop systems specialist and project leader.

To obtain the remaining 30% of the N they need, soybeans must draw from existing soil resources. Sometimes they respond to applied N, but research results have been mixed at best.