Soil property predictors of soybean yield using yield contest sites. Issue 6 (2nd November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Adams, Taylor C.; Brye, Kristofor R.; Purcell, Larry C.; Ross, Jeremy; Gbur, Edward E.; Savin, Mary C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of crop improvement. Volume 31:Issue 6(2017)
• Page Start: 816
• Page End: 829
• Publication Date: 2017-11-02
• Subjects: Arkansas -- multiple regressions -- soil fertility -- soybean production -- ultra-high yields; Crop science -- Periodicals; 631.5
• DOI: 10.1080/15427528.2017.1372326
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1542-7528

Abstract

ABSTRACT: State yield contests offer a unique opportunity to examine the high end of crop productivity. Yield-contest-entered and average-yielding areas on the same or a similar soil can provide large yield and soil property variations to better examine the relationships among various near-surface soil properties and soybean ( Glycine max L. [Merr.]) yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships among a suite of near-surface soil properties and soybean yield across average- and high-yield areas using state yield-contest sites. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to evaluate best-fit relationships among various soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and yield separately for average- and high-yielding areas and for data combined across yield areas. Soybean yield variation was most explained for the high-yield-area dataset ( R 2 = 73%) and less explained for the average-yield-area ( R 2 = 51%) and the combined ( R 2 = 50%) datasets. Extractable soil Ca and S explained the largest proportion of yield variation (37% and 31% of total sum of squares) in the high-yield setting and both were inversely related to yield. A better understanding of the soil environment may be a key component of more frequent attainment of the 6270 kg ha −1 (100 bu acre −1 ) soybean yield mark. Additional soil properties, beyond those evaluated in this study, may need to be included for a more complete understanding of the soil environment that is associated with high-yield soybean production.