Achieving 100 bu/acre Yields in Soybeans
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Crop Focus
Written by Mark Jeschke, Ph.D., Pioneer Agronomy Manager
Pioneer® brand soybean varieties topping 100 bu/acre in on-farm trials in 2023 included:
- 7 varieties with Peking SCN resistance source (P18A33X, P18A73E, P25A04X, P25A16E, P27A26PR, P31A73E, P36A94PR).
- 23 Enlist E3® soybean varieties.
- 3 Plenish® high oleic soybean varieties
Increasing Yields in Soybeans
- Improvements in genetics and management have driven substantial gains in soybean yields in the U.S. over the past 50 years, at a rate of 0.48 bu/acre/year (Figure 1).
- U.S. average soybean yields topped 50 bu/acre for the first time in 2016 and again in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
Figure 1. U.S. average soybean yields 1970-2023 (USDA-NASS)
- 100 bu/acre has often served as a target yield level for farmers seeking to see how high they can push yields with optimized management and the newest genetics.
- Across all of the on-farm genetic and agronomic trials Pioneer conducts each year in the U.S. and Canada, it has not been unusual for a few entries each year to top 100 bu/acre.
- Beginning in 2018 however, the number of plots exceeding 100 bu/acre increased dramatically. This number declined in 2019 due to widespread weather challenges but exceeded 100 every year since then (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Number of Pioneer on-farm trial entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2013-2023.
Pioneer On-Farm Trial Results
- A total of 123 on-farm soybean trial entries exceeded 100 bu/acre in 2023 (Figure 2).
- 100 bu/acre was achieved with 39 different Pioneer® brand varieties from maturity group 1.8 to 4.8 (Table 1).
Table 1. Pioneer® brand soybean varieties used in 2023 Pioneer on-farm trials entries exceeding 100 bu./acre.
| Variety/Brand1 | Plots | Variety/Brand1 | Plots |
|---|---|---|---|
| P17A87E™ (E3) | 1 | P34A98E™ (E3) | 4 |
| P18A33X™ (RR2X) | 1 | P35A55X™ (RR2X) | 1 |
| P18A73E™ (E3) | 1 | P36A94PR™ (Plenish,R) | 2 |
| P19A37E™ (E3) | 4 | P37A18E™ (E3) | 18 |
| P21A53E™ (E3) | 8 | P38A28E™ (E3) | 3 |
| P22A67E™ (E3) | 6 | P38A54E™ (E3) | 1 |
| P25A04X™ (RR2X) | 2 | P39A45X™ (RR2X) | 1 |
| P25A16E™ (E3) | 9 | P40A23E™ (E3) | 1 |
| P25A54X™ (RR2X) | 1 | P42A84E™ (E3) | 5 |
| P27A26PR™ (Plenish,R) | 1 | P42A96X™ (RR2X) | 1 |
| P28A39E™ (E3) | 1 | 44A21X™ (RR2X) | 2 |
| P28A51X™ (RR2X) | 1 | P44A60LX™ (LL,RR2X) | 1 |
| P28A65E™ (E3) | 14 | P44A91E™ (E3) | 2 |
| P29A19E™ (E3) | 1 | P45A81E™ (E3) | 3 |
| P30A75E™ (E3) | 5 | P46A09E™ (E3) | 2 |
| P31A73E™ (E3) | 7 | P46A45PR™ (Plenish,R) | 1 |
| P31A95BX™ (Bolt,RR2X) | 3 | P46A90LX™ (LL,RR2X) | 2 |
| P33A62E™ (E3) | 1 | P47A25BX™ (Bolt,RR2X) | 1 |
| P33A85E™ (E3) | 2 | P48A14E™ (E3) | 2 |
| P34A50™ | 1 |
¹All Pioneer products denoted with ™ are brand names.
Yields over 100 bu/acre were achieved over a relatively wide geography from 2018 to 2023 including 22 U.S. states and 1 Canadian province.
Table 2. Locations of Pioneer on-farm soybean trial entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2018-2023.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 4 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| Delaware | 4 | |||||
| Illinois | 33 | 3 | 14 | 39 | 5 | 10 |
| Indiana | 18 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
| Iowa | 1 | 1 | 35 | 23 | 5 | |
| Kansas | 14 | 14 | 13 | 2 | ||
| Kentucky | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Maryland | 1 | |||||
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Minnesota | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||
| Mississippi | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Missouri | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| Nebraska | 17 | 1 | 40 | 115 | 32 | 42 |
| New York | 2 | |||||
| North Carolina | 7 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 3 |
| Ohio | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 | |
| Ontario | 1 | |||||
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 6 | ||||
| South Dakota | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Tennessee | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Virginia | 9 | 14 | 8 | |||
| Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 101 | 33 | 115 | 256 | 104 | 123 |
Agronomic Practices for Soybeans
- 100 bu/acre yields were achieved in a range of different environments and with a range of different agronomic practices.
- Analyses of management practices used in yield contest winners in other crops have produced similar findings (Jeschke, 2023), indicating that there is no single one-size-fits-all formula for achieving high yield potential.
Tillage
- The most common tillage system used at locations with 100 bu/acre plots over the past 3 years was conventional tillage, followed by no-till (Figure 3).
- Tillage practices varied by geography:
- Conventional tillage was more common in the eastern Corn Belt, comprising over 70% of 100 bu/acre plots in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia.
- Iowa plots were split roughly evenly between conventional tillage (43%) and no-till or strip-till (46%).
- Over half of Nebraska plots were no-till or strip till (54%) and North Carolina plots were predominantly no-till (65%).
Figure 3. Tillage practices used in Pioneer on-farm trials with entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2021-2023.
Seeding Rate
- Seeding rates used in plots yielding above 100 bu/acre ranged from 95,000 seeds/acre to 200,000 seeds/acre (Figure 4).
- Average seeding rate was slightly higher among no-till locations (149,000 seeds/acre) than conventional till locations (132,000 seeds/acre).
Figure 4. Seeding rate used in Pioneer on-farm trials with entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2021-2023.
Row Spacing
- The most common row spacing of 100 bu/acre plots was 30-inch rows, followed closely by 15-inch rows (Figure 5).
- Geographic distribution of row spacing practices roughly corresponded with findings of recent USDA surveys, with 30-inch rows most common from Iowa west and narrower rows more common from Illinois east (Jeschke and Lutt, 2016).
Figure 5. Row spacing used in Pioneer on-farm trials with entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2021-2023.
Planting Date
- Recent research has shown the importance of early planting for maximizing soybean yields (Van Roekel, 2019). Most trial locations with 100 bu/acre plots were planted in the latter half of April through the first half of May (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Planting date of Pioneer on-farm trials with entries exceeding 100 bu/acre, 2021-2023.
References
- Jeschke, M. 2019. Managing Corn for Greater Yield. Pioneer Crop Insights Vol. 33 No. 1.
- Jeschke, M., and N. Lutt. 2016. Row Width in Soybean Production. Pioneer Crop Insights Vol. 26 No. 12.
- Van Roekel, R. 2019. The Importance of Early Planting for Soybeans in the Midwest. Pioneer Crop Focus Vol. 11 No. 1.
The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Corteva Agriscience and M.S. Technologies L.L.C. Always follow stewardship practices in accordance with the Product Use Guide (PUG) or other product-specific stewardship requirements including grain marketing and pesticide label directions. Varieties with BOLT® technology provide excellent plant-back flexibility for soybeans following application of sulfonylurea (SU) herbicides such as DuPont™ LeadOff® or DuPont™ Basis® Blend as a component of a burndown program or for double-crop soybeans following SU herbicides such as DuPont™ Finesse® applied to wheat the previous fall. Always follow grain marketing, stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Varieties with the Glyphosate Tolerant trait (including those designated by the letter “R” in the product number) contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate herbicides. Glyphosate herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. LL - Contains the LibertyLink® gene for resistance to Liberty® herbicide. Plenish® high oleic soybeans have an enhanced oil profile and are produced and channeled under contract to specific grain markets. Growers should refer to the Product Use Guides on www.corteva.us/Resources/trait‑stewardship.html for more information..
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