Seeding Rate Reduced from 140k to 110k Seeds/ Acre

This experimental field was in Brookings County, South Dakota. Soybeans variety AG18XF1 was planted in 30-inch rows in strips on May 21, 2022. The purpose of this experiment is to compare two different seeding rates. The soybean was harvested in 30 feet wide strips having two different seeding rates of 110K and 14OK seeding rates. This experiment had 1 replication for each seeding rate. Soybeans were harvested on September 27, 2022. UAV image was collected on August 17, 2022, and an NDVI map was generated to quantify the treatment effect and spatial variability in yield across field.  Moreover, for analysis purposes, the field was classified into three different yield zones: low-yield zones (less than 35 bu/ac), mid-yield zones (35-55 bu/ac), and high-yield zones (more than 55 bu/ac). This analysis considers low-yield zones.

Overall, there was 3.67 bu/ac yield difference comparing the two seeding rates (Figure 1 & Table 1). However, this difference cannot be statistically verified due to only one replication. Moreover, NDVI for the 110K seeding rate was 0.95 and that of 140K was 0.94. More research at multiple sites with more replications is required to explain better contrast between two different seeding rates in different environmental conditions.