How to Tell If Soybeans Are Growing Excessively? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods

Soybeans themselves have excellent nitrogen fixation, unlike other crops they do not need large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, so they are very prone to excessive vegetative growth, for example due to improper fertilizer and water management, unsuitable temperatures and other problems, especially when too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied, which very easily causes excessive growth, leading to soybean lodging, which is bad for yield and quality. So how do you judge excessive growth in soybeans? And how should it be controlled? Let's find out together.

1. Judging whether soybeans are growing excessively

1. Leaves

The leaves of soybeans grow very vigorously, the field is completely closed in, the leaf photosynthesis index is relatively low, and the permeability is poor, which very easily causes excessive growth of stems and leaves.

2. Leaf color

When the color of the upper soybean leaves becomes dark green and the leaf area is very large, while the leaves toward the middle and lower parts have already begun to turn yellow, and some leaves even show signs of shedding.

3. Flower clusters

The number of flower clusters can also be used to judge whether soybeans are growing excessively. If there are only a small number of flower clusters on the upper part of the main stem, while there are very few flower clusters on the branches and the lower part of the main stem, this is also a sign of excessive growth.

2. Techniques for controlling excessive growth

Once the above three situations appear, you cannot let the soybeans continue to grow freely; you must promptly adopt techniques to control excessive growth. One is manual control of excessive growth, and the other is chemical control of excessive growth.

1. Manual topping

Manual topping is suitable for small planting areas. In places where soybeans show excessive growth, pinch off the top growth node. Do not pinch arbitrarily; follow the principle of “top early, not late; top fat, not thin; top sparse, not dense.” Also, when topping, do not be too aggressive; just pinch off 2-3cm from the top of the main stem. Pinching off too much may affect the subsequent growth of the soybeans.

2. Chemical control of excessive growth

Generally, chemical control of excessive growth is the same as for other crops, usually using paclobutrazol, which can effectively inhibit plant growth. When using it, pay attention to the concentration and apply it according to the dosage on the instructions, so as to avoid the chemical being too concentrated, which can cause slow growth or growth stagnation in soybeans. When spraying, you must see flowers before applying the chemical. If you find that the soybeans in the field are growing very tall but no flowers are visible, you still cannot spray.

The above is an introduction to how to judge whether soybeans are growing excessively. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.