Farm Journal | May 2016
SuperRollers Put to the Test on Soybean Yields

We usually think of stress as a bad thing. But when it comes to soybeans, the right kind of stress at the right time can boost yields. That’s what agronomists for Farm Journal are finding as they test the impact of land rolling soybeans.

In its second year, the study so far has found that, on average, fields see a three percent yield boost if beans are rolled during the early vegetative stages, specifically from V1 to V2 (first and second sets of trifoliate leaves unfolded). This stress causes the plant to bush out, shorten the distance between the nodes and add more total nodes, thus allowing the plant to produce more pods. 



Plus, rolling with heavy land rollers pushes down rocks, which adds a host of benefits. Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie used a Summers SuperRoller on a test plot in central Illinois, and found it helped eliminate rocks, “and allowed us to solely focus on yield gains derived from stressing the soybeans,” he said. 



“We were able to run our combine heads on the ground across the entire field,” Ferrie added. 



Check out the full story from Farm Journal to find out how land rolling can improve your soybean yields.