You never know when insects are going to hit your fields, eating your crop right out from under you. But you need to be ready.

Yield reduction up to 75% reported as weed continues to spread through Ontario and Quebec

Agronomists in Quebec are developing protocols to deal with infestations of waterhemp that have caused significant yield loss in soybean fields.

The research and experience in the field is unequivocal: The right pre-seed burnoff is critical to guarding yield potential.

Lack of moisture was a big challenge in 2021. Among other things, a pre-seed burnoff takes out weeds before they can rob the crop of soil moisture and nutrients.

We all know sunlight is key to plant growth. Plants harness light energy to fix carbon dioxide into energy they can use for growth. 

But what happens to this process on a cloudy day? How much yield is lost due to light fluctuations? 

Most plants depend on the seasonal change in the length of day and night to trigger flowering. This way flowering occurs at the optimum time of year.

This phenomenon, called photoperiodism, was identified nearly 100 years ago in varieties of tobacco and soybean. Plants affected by photoperiodism are called photoperiod sensitive and fall into two categories: short-day or long-day. 

The fundamental process in plants is their ability to produce their own energy through the process of photosynthesis. Eighty-five percent of plant species on earth, including soybeans, are C3 plants. This means they conduct their photosynthetic processes in the "normal" way without any adaptions.

Perhaps you have noticed that soybeans look a little different as the sun goes down. It’s because they are sleeping.