X

Thanks for signing up!

Look for the Digest in your email twice a month.

Follow Us

Sign up for our Digest to receive the latest agronomic insights and crop management advice for your primary growing region delivered twice a month to your inbox.

The 2-Fold Benefits of Faster Canopy Closure in Soybeans

December 1, 2021
soybean field at canopy closure

Soybeans in field that have reached canopy closure

Ideal growing conditions involve planting soybeans at the earliest time possible for your geography. From there, it’s a race against time between soybeans and weeds, fighting for water, sunlight and nutrients. As soon as weeds begin to steal resources, yield potential is affected.

Over the years, the rapid spread of herbicide resistance has led to the ever-changing innovation of management options for crops. One way growers fight weeds is by soybeans reaching faster canopy closure after planting. Weeds typically stop growing once soybeans near dense canopy closure because the crop canopy works to effectively cut off weeds from the resources – primarily sunlight and water – they need to thrive.

This is where crop inputs can work together for higher yield.

With ever-earlier planting and ever-more erratic weather, your soybeans are under enough stress as it is. And some seed treatments can cause additional plant stress, resulting in phytotoxicity, stunting and reduced plant stands. And while soybeans may appear to overcome these stress-related side effects above ground, early-season root damage can last throughout the season. This can delay soybean growth and prevent soybeans from reaching their full genetic yield potential. By choosing a seed treatment that helps establish a strong plant stand early, it can accelerate canopy closure, providing an added benefit of helping to reduce competition from weeds during this critical period.

Saltro® fungicide seed treatment can help boost plant health and vigor by delivering superior Sudden Death Syndrome protection without early-season stress. This means higher potential yield for Saltro-treated soybeans.

To give soybeans their best shot at growing in a weed-free field, you should also plan a season-long weed management program combined with cultural practices. For dicamba-tolerant soybeans, Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology is the first dicamba herbicide premix that manages key broadleaf and grass weeds. Tavium provides up to 3 weeks longer residual control than dicamba alone in order to help keep fields cleaner, longer. Through 2 effective sites of action, it delivers both contact control to manage the weeds you see and residual control to help protect against the weeds you don’t see yet. Using Tavium early post-emergence in a program with a strong preemergence herbicide like Boundary® 6.5 EC, BroadAxe® XC or Prefix® herbicides provides the best chance of a 1-pass post-emergence herbicide application in soybeans and can help rows stay clean until soybeans reach canopy.

The 2-fold benefits of canopy closure allow for soybeans to cover a field before weeds are able to steal key nutrients needed for soybeans to grow. Stopping weeds early in the season can result in greater yields at harvest time. Choosing the best crop management plan for your soybeans can result in a successful season stopping weeds early on.

Sign up for the Know More, Grow More Digest to receive twice-monthly agronomic e-mail updates pertinent to your area.

All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.

Know More Grow More content is moving over to Thrive - Field Insights on April 1. Get familiar with the site before the switch! Take me to ThriveKnow More Grow More content is moving over to Thrive - Field Insights on April 1. Get familiar with the site before the switch! Take me to Thrive