The USC soybeans are growing rapidly, with most plants being at the V-6 stage. Flowering has begun, and a lot have already progressed into the R-2 stage. The site has received 152 mm of rain to date, with 996 CHU. The 2nd application of glyphosate was made on Kristen and Dennis’ strips, and Curtis has applied some inter row tillage. Kristen and Dennis’ plots look very clean, but Curtis does have some grassy weeds growing in between the twin rows. Assessment of nodulation within plots revealed greater number of nodules in Curtis’ un-inoculated strips, while Dennis and Kristen’s inoculated strip had fewer nodules. However, it was interesting that the nodules present on Curtis’ soybeans were less pink when split open as compared to the nodules on Kristen and Dennis’ soybeans, indicating potentially lower biological N fixation. The next crop visit will include an assessment of chlorophyll content (leaf “greenness”) using a SPAD meter, which will give us an indication of crop N nutrient sufficiency. We will keep you all updated!
