Correctly identifying your crop’s growth stage is critically important for implementing all parts of your pulse and soybean management strategy.
Identifying the type of leaf, how many leaves are on the plant, if blooming has begun, the pod length, if seeds have started to develop, and pod colour change are the visual signs that we concentrate on to match up our crop’s current characteristics to standardized growth staging guides.
Example:
Starting at emergence (when the plant breaks through the soil surface) and during the early stages of the plant’s life cycle, the growth stage descriptions start with the letter V.
V stands for vegetative.
As soon as we see the first open flower on the plant, growth stage changes from starting with a V to starting with an R, and continues with an R all the way through to full maturity.
R stands for reproductive.
Note: In soybeans, plants can complete a full growth stage in as little as 10 to 14 days.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and a growth staging guide with great pictures and descriptive explanations is one of the best tools to take with you to the field while crop scouting.
It isn’t always cut and dry, and it can be frustrating to definitively know the correct crop stage of every plant in the entire field, as fields are rarely completely uniform and often have several different stages of plants.
That’s why we look at several areas of the field, determine the crop stage of several individual plants, and deduce the best field average we can. It is important to note the range of crop stages present to help with spray timing decisions.
Be sure to ask your MPSG production agronomist for a free durable, laminated copy of each MPSG Growth Staging Guide. We have guides for soybeans, field peas, dry beans and faba beans. Comprised of great photos and descriptions, you can take these guides with you to the field and increase your confidence in identifying each growth stage as your crops progress through the growing season.
Download Now: Your digital copies for soybeans, field peas, dry beans, and faba beans and always have them with you!
Pulse and Soybean Growth Staging Guides – Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers – Click Here