Interdisciplinary and Process-Based Approach to Identify Nitrogen Limitations and Increase Soybean Yield and Meal Protein

Proposal United Soybean Board FY2022 Title: Interdisciplinary and process-based approach to identify nitrogen limitations and increase soybean yield and meal protein Authors: Montse Salmeron (PI), Hanna Poffenbarger, Erin Haramoto, Michael Sama, Carl Dillon Summary Our previous research demonstrated there is an opportunity to enhance soybean productivity and seed composition with management practices that increase late-season nitrogen (N) availability. New technologies, such as aerial imagery and crop modeling, provide opportunities to integrate real- time assessment of the crop N status with dynamic estimations of the expected yield potential, and can help quantify the minimum N inputs required to obtain high-quality, high-yielding soybean. These technologies provide fast solutions to address soybean N limitations, while other management practices that have a small to no added fixed costs could increase soil heath and organic matter, and avoid the need to supplement soybean with nitrogen fertilizer in the long term. Combining these short- and long- term management solutions is key to ensure environmental and economic sustainability of US soybean production and increase competitively in global markets. We propose to: (1) Identify the minimum effective rate of N fertilizer applied at R5 sufficient to increase yield and seed protein, (2) develop a novel tool that combines aerial imaging with crop simulations to identify N limitations and predict soybean yield, and seed composition; and (3) quantify if we can address soybean N limitation with improved soil health in collaboration with institutions conducting long-term soybean management trials.