Soybean Replanting Decisions

I have received several calls about soybean replanting. Making a replanting decision is never an easy task. When evaluating reduced or uneven stands there are a few things to take into consideration. First, do you know what caused the problem in the first place? Planting too deep? Improper planter settings? Herbicide injury? Insect feeding? Possibly planting too early, followed by slow growing conditions? If you do not know what happened the first time, you could be setting yourself up for failure again if you do not address the problem. Second, before deciding to replant you need to determine the density of your current stand. The Hula Hoop method or counting plants in 1/1000 of an acre can be used to do this. Once you know your stand count you can estimate the yield potential of your field. Making the decision to replant can be agonizing, however there are resources to help growers. Purdue University has published a good Soybean Production System fact sheet that clearly guides growers through the replant decision.

Bill Bamka