COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new tool developed by University of Missouri Extension’s state soybean specialist, Andre Froes de Borja Reis, can indicate soybean growth and anticipate yield deviations before the end of the season.

“This tool is designed to predict soybean development and yield based on crop growth models,” Reis said. “It simulates soybean growth in various regions of Missouri, using both historical and current weather data.”

Soybean Growth Monitoring reports will inform farmers about how the weather and growing conditions in 2024 are affecting soybean development and yield, he said. “For example, the reports will indicate whether the 2024 season is likely to result in a higher yield compared to previous years, or how adverse weather conditions during the 2024 season might impact the yield months before harvest.”

Reis explains how he developed the tool: “The crop performance parameters are reported on a relative scale rather than as absolute values. The baseline is considered the ‘normal’ yield or growth, which is the average predicted yield based on 40 years of weather simulations using current soybean cultivars.”

The predictions are based on the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model developed at the University of Florida and adapted to Missouri by Reis’ research group.

The reports will help growers make management decisions primarily during the current growing season, including “deciding whether to invest in late-season crop management such as prophylactic fungicide application or the use of micronutrients during seed filling,” said Reis.

“The reports also predict harvest maturity, which can help farmers plan the harvest operation in advance.”

Reports are available for the five regions of the state – northeast, northwest, central, southwest and southeast – and are updated twice a month at https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/soybean.