Soybean Seeding Rate and Row Spacing Effects on Plant Establishment and Yield

North Dakota soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] management varies across the state, resulting in yield differences. Eight soybean seeding rates (starting at 197600 and increasing by 49400 live seed ha-1 increments) and row spacing (30 and 61 cm) were evaluated in 15 North Dakota environments in 2017-2018 to determine plant densities, seed yield, and plant loss, which were compared with soybean producer field data. Planting 30 cm row spacing yielded 183 kg ha-1 greater than 61 cm row spacing. On farm, maximum yields occurred at 414000 live seed ha-1 and final plant densities of 352000 plants ha-1. In research plots, 494000 live seed ha-1 had the highest yield. On farm, 8.9% plant loss occurred after plant establishment while research data observed 6.9% plant loss. North Dakota soybean producers should use narrow row spacing, use final plant density to estimate yields, and 444600 live seed ha-1 provided the highest net revenue.North Central Soybean Research ProgramNorth Dakota Soybean Counci