Mississippi State University Extension Soybean Variety Demonstration Program.

Soybean is an integral component of Mississippi’s agriculture production systems. Approximately 2.2 million acres of soybeans are estimated to be harvested in Mississippi during 2018 with an expected average yield of 53 bushels per acre, making soybean Mississippi’s most important row crop in terms of economic impact. Soybean productivity has increased over the last 20 years due to a multitude of reasons including, but not limited to, improved management, technology and seed options. However, potential for improvement across our production systems still remains. Thus, Mississippi State University Extension established the Soybean Variety Demonstration Program supported by the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board in effort to continue to improve Mississippi’s soybean production. Soybean variety selection can be considered to be the most important management decision each year. The main objective of this program is to provide Mississippi’s soybean producers with additional tools for making informed decisions regarding variety selection. Due to the diversity of soil characteristics and management practices presented in the soybean producing areas of Mississippi, further refinement is needed to demonstrate which soybean varieties perform best in specific production systems. Through the cooperation of producers, soybean varieties with proven performance are planted in a field scale, strip-plot design across multiple soil types, different tillage systems, and in both irrigated and non-irrigated production systems. Standard agronomic practices are utilized across all varieties and locations. Data collection includes plant heights along with green stem, lodging, shattering, and disease susceptibility scores. Also, seed quality and soybean yield are collected from each variety at each location. These data provide soybean producers with the additional information necessary to make informed decisions on variety selection for each unique production system represented throughout the region.