Dr. Jim Beuerlein, Extension soybean specialist at Ohio State University, has conducted inoculation trials on soybean seed at six locations in western Ohio for 13 years.<br>
In 2007, he evaluated 18 inoculation treatments at each of six locations. He tested inoculants from United Agri Products, Precision Laboratories, Becker Underwood, EMD Crop Bio Science, Advanced Biological Marketing, and Brett-Young Seeds, Ltd. The average yield from all locations for the untreated plots was 2.1 bushels less than the average yield from the best product. Because of rainfall patterns, the plants achieved only about 70 percent of normal plant height and a reduced nodule count from previous years. Yield increases for 2007 were not as dramatic from the inoculation treatment as in previous years. Because of increased price of soybeans, the treatments still paid a “healthy dividend,” Beuerlein said. <br>
In the previous 12 years, Dr. Beuerlein conducted 70 trials with over 9,000 plots. That gives you a high degree of certainty that his data is correct. <br>
The average increase over the non-treated plots has returned a profit of over 300 percent. Beuerlein found that an increase as small as .5 bushel per acre has been profitable. Yield increases of 2 to 7 bushel per acre have been common. <br>
The field plots have been rotated with corn, just as most farmers rotate their crops. The test sites are well drained, have good fertility and pH in the normal range. This would lead me to believe if we use inoculation on soils that are not as well drained and may be borderline deficient in lime and fertilizer, yield increases from inoculation treatments could be expected to be even better.
Visit www.agcrops.osu.edu online and click on “Soybean,” then click “2007 Ohio Soybean Inoculation Report” for more information.
You can also contact the Butler County Extension office at: 513-887-3722 for a copy of the report.<br>

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Steve Bartels may write to him in care of this publication.<br>