OTTERBEIN, Ind. — Benton County, located on Indiana’s border with Illinois west of Lafayette, experienced wet fields and excessive rainfall this season – but soybeans in the area rebounded.

Bean seeds performed well in the test conducted on Steve Gick’s farm in Benton County by Farmers’ Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST). Of the 54 varieties in the trial, Pioneer variety P33T72R bested the rest with 80.9 bushels and $728 in gross income per acre.

Ebberts 2366RR2 followed, with 79 bushels and $711 in gross income, while NK Brand S37-Z8 produced 78.9 bushels and $710 in gross income.

The average yield in the test was 71.7 bushels, and the average gross income per acre was $646.

“The crop was standing nice at harvest as some varieties were up to 38 inches in height. Two applications of fungicide were applied, which was a help to areas where water sat. Area yields have been better than expected considering the extremely wet weather this season,” explained Rich Schleuning, FIRST site test manager.

While average moisture was recorded at 7.1 percent, the plants showed no lodging.

On May 23, 190,000 seeds per acre were planted in silt loam that is well-drained and non-irrigated. The plants were harvested on Oct. 15. The previous crop was corn treated with Corvus. The soil is minimally tilled without fall till, and pests were managed with Canopy and Roundup.

Go to www.firstseedtests.com for more data and a complete listing of the varieties tested.