By Andi Anderson
New research from The Ohio State University is examining how planting depth can improve early-season soybean performance. Conducted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), the study focuses on helping soybeans emerge evenly when planted earlier in the season.
As many Ohio farmers continue to plant soybeans earlier to increase yield potential, small management decisions are becoming more important. Planting depth, often overlooked, plays a key role in how seeds respond to early spring conditions such as cold soil and slow growth. These decisions are especially important during a year filled with uncertainty in agricultural markets and supply chains.
The project is led by Alexander Lindsey, associate professor in the CFAES Department of Horticulture and Crop Science. The research aims to improve planting depth recommendations for both corn and soybeans during early planting periods.
“Temperatures tend to be colder in April than in May, which can slow growth processes for our crops,” Lindsey said. “It can also lead to longer periods where seedlings are in soil prior to emergence due to slower daily growth, which could increase stress and exposure to soilborne pests.”
When seeds stay underground longer, they face more risk from pests, disease, and environmental stress. Uniform and rapid emergence is critical because uneven plants compete with one another, which can reduce final yield.
“We want to identify where seed placement leads to the most rapid and most uniform emergence so we can help growers best leverage the early planting date while minimizing stress and nonuniform growth,” Lindsey said.
Early planting also means slower accumulation of growing degree days, or heat units needed for crop development. Cooler weather delays emergence and increases stress from cold rain and sudden temperature drops.
“Early planting dates come with slower daily GDDs accumulation, which means less growth per day and longer times to emergence,” Lindsey said. “Additionally, April days can bring with them cold rain events and cold fronts, which could lead to periods of stress during or shortly after emergence.”
Researchers are studying how shallow and deep planting affects temperature stability, moisture availability, and emergence speed. The project includes research sites in Ohio and collaboration with universities in Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
“This work should help farmers better leverage early planting dates, ensuring more uniform emergence and less issues leading to replanting needs later in the season,” Lindsey said.
The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
“This work would not be possible without the funding support from USDA-NIFA, and we appreciate their funding this multistate project,” Lindsey said.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-zoran-zeremski
Categories: Ohio, Crops, Soybeans