Casteel: Pay Close Attention to Soybean Germ Scores This Year

Planting season is upon us. Once soils are fit, planters will hit the fields and soybeans will likely be the first to go in the ground.

“As long as we’ve got something that’s pretty close to our target, that 50-degree mark and sunshine is coming, I think we need to be pulling the trigger,” says Purdue Extension’s ‘Soybean Shaun’ Casteel on the latest Purdue Crop Chat Podcast from Hoosier Ag Today. “I don’t like open seed slots. We can get by. I know people probably do that more than we should and get timely rains to help it to get through that. I think here in the next 10 to 14 days, we’re probably going to have a lot of beans turning over and getting in the ground.”

Casteel encourages growers to start looking at their seed bags that are coming in. He says we’ve got some seed lots that are on the lower side after a hot and dry season last year.

“I’m getting calls, and I’m getting emails, and I’m getting some of my own supply that’s running 80% to 85%.”

He says soybeans can adapt; you’ll just need to adjust your seeding rates.

“I’m normally a 140,000 seed rate. Well, that’s with 90% germ. Well, now, if you had 80% germ, you just need to do the adjustments, right? That’s going to put you probably more like 155k-160k if you want to plant the same number of viable seeds.

“If you’ve got these germ lots, these lots that are lower germs, I probably don’t want to be planting those first,” Casteel continued. “I just think there’s probably going to be a little bit of an issue with vigor. So, if you are in more marginal conditions, make sure you’re planting the one that’s got the germ score that’s a little bit higher, and definitely the one with the fungicide seed treatment.”

Hear more from ‘Soybean Shaun’ and Purdue Extension’s Dan ‘Corn’ Quinn in the Purdue Crop Chat below or in the Hoosier Ag Today mobile app.