Episode 9 of 21: Soybean maturity

In this episode of ‘We’ve bean around the block’, host Antony Jarvie and Grant Pringle wrestle with the topic of soybean maturity. It is such an influential factor in soybean cultivar adaptation, that it warrants detailed discussion. Maturity in soybean is dictated by both genotype and environment and the complex interactions that govern the expression, commonly causes uncertainty in production. The effect of latitude is demonstrated by comparing two locations with similar temperatures but differing latitudes. Then a similar comparison is made between locations that have the same latitude but differ in altitude. Latitude affects daylength and altitude affects temperature. Both variables interact to trigger flowering, and the speed at which the crop runs through the reproductive stage is driven by heat unit accumulation during the season. A discussion on how Relative Maturity grouping is calculated and the importance of accuracy in this ensues. Finally, Grant discusses the uniquely concise way in which Pannar group their varieties for the purpose of cultivar recommendation.