b'before we go out to the mar- of yield potential with eachDeath Syndrome (SDS) in ketplace, Fuller says. of these varieties as they gettheir soybeans, which can also For example, a test plotintroduced, Rahe says.be reduced with the use of a area might flood natu- He says growers canseed treatment.rally once every five years.expect about a half bushel Increasing the overall numberincrease on the newestPlanting Preferencesof locations and placing thesevarieties that are introducedSeed treatments also enable screening trials in controlledannually, largely due to bettergrowers to plant soybean environments ensures data isdisease tolerances to prob- earlier than they have histori-sufficient to provide accuratelems such as Phytopthora rootcally planted.ratings. rot, soybean cyst nematode,It used to be growers Most of what we wouldwhite mold, iron chlorosis, andwould plant all of their corn call challenges, or evenother soybean challenges. and then switch their planter failures, in the industry, wereRahe was involved in theover to plant soybeans. due to either inaccurate orintroduction of RoundupRecently, weve seen whereRyan Fuller is soybean strategic inadequate disease screening,Ready soybeans in 1997, whichgrowers are planting soybeansmarketing for Syngenta.Fuller says.was a huge step forward forabout the same time or earlier Kavanaugh also recognizesthe industry. as corn, depending upon their more robust testing and trialsGrowers were spendingfield conditions, Rahe says.across North America. up to $80 an acre to controlIt is important for growers The testing models thatweeds. With the introductionto ask questions of their sup-were able to put in placeof Roundup Ready soybeans,plier to understand what pro-today are amazing, not justthey were able to significantlytection they are getting out of from an infield aspect, but alsoreduce their costs of herbi- their seed treatment. If grow-just the data accumulation andcides and have clean fieldsers choose to plant soybeans evaluation aspect, he says.again instead of walkingearlier, they should make sure Breeders can comparetheir fields in addition to thethey have protection from a single year data to histori- herbicides they were using,multitude of early seedling cal averages, as well as findhe says. diseases such as pythium, trends and comparisonsNew traits have beenPhytopthora, rhizoctonia, and across geographies.introduced, including triplephomopsis.Its not all about just whatstack soybean varieties thatSome of the new tech- Mike Kavanaugh, director of happened locally the previoushelp growers to manage theirnology thats available outproduct development for year, Kavanaugh says. weeds, fight off glyphosatethere, has enabled us to moveAgReliant Genetics.resistant weeds and then alsoplanting date earlier, so that Yearly Yieldmaximize their yields. growers can capitalize on Improvements Soybean seed treatmentshigher yields and higher per-When looking to the future,are another tool in the grow- formance, Rahe says.its first important to considerers toolbox to get soybeansFrost is still a concern just how far yields have come.off to a strong start. when planting throughout From 1960 to 1990, yields wentRahe estimates 80% of thethe Corn Belt in late March or from 23.5 bushel per acre tosoybeans planted today haveearly April. 34.1. In 2021, the estimateda seed treatment on them.Whenever you plant yields were 50.6, according toThat can be a seed treat- earlier, youve got to watch for Kurt Rahe, general sales man- ment of a fungicide only; itthat late spring frost because ager, Burrus Seed. could be a fungicide withit will kill soybeans if we get Its really all aboutinsecticide, or it could be acold enough for long enough, improved genetics, withfungicide, insecticide and aKavanaugh says.multiple breeding programs innematicide, he says. Different varieties are the industry, and how we canGrowers are also lookingbetter suited to differentKurt Rahe serves as general continue to see the growthfor the protection of Suddenplanting times sales manager at Burrus Seed.FEBRUARY 2022SEEDWORLD.COM /53'