For many years, soybeans have played second fiddle to corn, but expanding market opportunities have heightened attention on the oilseed. AgriGold Agronomist Nick Frederking saw an opportunity for farmers to build yields with more customized soybean variety placement.
“We know the corn plant has the ability to flex ear size,” Frederking explains. “Soybeans can also flex, but with soybeans, you’re talking about hundreds of fruiting structures versus one for corn. There are a lot more variables involved.”
With that in mind, he started trials studying the plant architecture of 10 soybean varieties at both low and high seeding rates, studying the plants’ ability to genetically flex. “If I could separate plants by architectural differences, that could help farmers place and manage soybean varieties,” Frederking explains.