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Check seed tags for germ quality

A soybean researcher is urging farmers to take another look at the fine print on the seed tags before planting.

Shawn Conley with the Wisconsin Soybean Program says last year’s dry harvest conditions might have impacted the germ test. “Most of the time, when you harvest soybean seed at 14-15 percent moisture, handle it gently, bring it to the dryer and bring it down slowly just so it’s in good shape for farmers for the next growing season, however, as we got into it, there’s not a lot of soybeans that were harvested in that optimal range.”

Conley says many soybeans including seed plots were harvested with moisture levels below eight percent, which can cause the seed coat to crack during harvesting and handling, increasing the risk for disease or poor germination, especially under cooler and wetter conditions. “Check your pro boxes. Look for that percent of germ on there and if there’s anything under 85% germ, I would really think about increasing that seeding rate about 10% just to offset any issues we might have with early season germination and emergence.”

Conley says he’s already heard of a few specific varieties that are not company-specific with less than a 90% germ rating because of where they were harvested.

AUDIO: Shawn Conley discusses his concerns about soybean seed germ and also one of this year’s University of Wisconsin soybean field trials.