Evaluation of seedbed preparation, planting method, and herbicide alternatives for dryland soybean production

The current economic situation provides incentives for producers to reduce input costs. Examples include reduced herbicide rates and an array of planting methods that utilize new herbicide and equipment technologies. This study investigated the implications of seedbed preparation (conventional vs. conservation tillage), planting equipment (broadcast, drill, no-till drill, air seeder, and planter), and herbicide alternatives [full-rate preplant followed by full-rate over the top (FRI), reduced-rate preplant followed by reduced-rate over the top (RRI), and full-rate over the top by itself (FROT)1 for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr1 at two locations (Keiser and Pine Tree, AR) with two cropping systems (full season vs. double-cropped). While some yield differences were observed across seedbed preparation and planting equipment, they did not lead to consistent results. Conventional and conservation tillage were the preferred production strategies for full-season and double-cropped systems, respectively. Seasonal labor, weather, and scale of operation are expected to play a major role because planting equipment did not impact yields or cost. Herbicide programs did not affect yields. Lower costs through reduced-rate herbicide applications led to higher returns and lower financial risk without restricting the planting method. Both the FROT and RRI weed control systems lead to higher returns compared with the FRI system. Producers concerned with the lack of residual herbicide activity afforded by preplant herbicides would be expected to choose the RRI system at the cost of slightly lower net returns in the full-season system.