MSU Extension Soybeans

Early in the growing season, abiotic (freezing temperatures, hail, flooding, etc.) and biotic (slugs, deer, disease, insects, etc.) factors often reduce soybean plant stands. A soybean field with poor seedling vigor, slow plant growth, and low plant stand often triggers an “I need to fix this” impulse. However, these fields don’t always need to be replanted. This fact sheet addresses some commonly asked questions to consider prior to replanting a soybean field.

Take Home Messages

• If possible, repair-plant to improve the final stand instead of completely starting over.
• The minimum soybean stand required to produce 95% of a full yield has been found in research to be as
  low as 50,000 plants per acre, but more than that may be safer in the case of adverse growing conditions
  (Gaspar and Conley, 2015).
• The decision to repair-plant should focus on profitability, not on an emotional response to beat-up stands and seedlings.

Authors

• Jenny Carleo, North Carolina State University
• Daniela Carrijo, Pennsylvania State University
• Shaun Casteel, Purdue University
• Shawn P. Conley, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Eros Francisco, Auburn University
• David Holshouser, Virginia Tech University
• Hans Kandel, North Dakota State University
• Jonathan Kleinjan, South Dakota State University
• Chad Lee, University of Kentucky
• Mark Licht, Iowa State University
• Laura Lindsey, The Ohio State University
• Emma Grace Matcham, University of Florida
• David Moseley, Louisiana State University
• Mike Mulvaney, Mississippi State University
• Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota
• Emerson Nafziger, University of Illinois
• Michael Plumblee, Clemson University
• Giovani Preza Fontes, University of Illinois
• Jeremy Ross, University of Arkansas
• Maninder “Manni” Singh, Michigan State University
• Rachel Vann, North Carolina State University

The SCIENCE FOR SUCCESS series is a multi-state collaboration by university extension specialists and sponsored by the United Soybean Board.