Density, not tillage, increases soybean protein concentration in some southeastern US environments

Abstract

AbstractManagement decisions like planting density and tillage could influence soybean seed composition through their impacts on competition and soil properties. To determine if either of these management decisions could help improve soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed quality in the southeastern United States, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of planting density and tillage on seed composition. Five soybean genotypes were examined in multiple environments across three plant densities from 204,000 to 476,000 plants ha−1, and in conventional tillage compared to no‐till. In two of the three environments, seed protein concentration was higher at higher plant densities. Tillage did not affect seed protein concentration, but conventional tillage improved yield when compared with no‐till in two of four environments, resulting in higher protein yield under conventional tillage in these environments. Plant density may be an important management decision to consider for improving soybean seed protein in specific environments in the southeastern United States, and further research could help determine the specific environmental attributes that lead to a density benefit for seed protein.