STATESVILLE, N.C. — As our soybeans move from flowering into pod development we also start to focus our management on protecting and providing for those pods. This video shows how to tell the differences between R4 through R6 growth stages in soybean.
To view the video, please click here!
When staging soybeans look only at the upper four-most nodes with a fully developed leaf. This is for consistency purposes since soybeans often continue to flower as pods are developing, and there can be pods of multiple sizes on the same plant. When 50% of the plants in a field have reached a growth stage that’s when we say it’s moving on to the next growth stage.
Knowing the growth stages of our soybeans is important after flowering, especially since the impact of pest presence and pressure on the crop changes during this time. Soybeans are very susceptible to seed damage in R4 and R5 but as we move through R6 the soybeans become less susceptible to economic injury. This is why treatment thresholds for many important pests will increase around R6.
Additional Information
NC State University – Soybean Staging Guide
CoolBean Visual Guide to Soybean Stages
University of Arkansas SoyStage Website
Filmed at: N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Piedmont Research Station, Salisbury, NC
Read more at: https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/09/video-what-stage-are-my-soybeans-in-r4-to-r6/
–Jenny Carleo, N.C. State Extension