Here are seven steps that can boost chances of success for soybeans planted into cereal rye in relay-intercropping systems, says Lucas De Bruin, an Iowa Soybean Association research agronomist. Check out the following:

1. Fertilize cereal rye with nitrogen. De Bruin recommends applying 35 to 60 pounds per acre of N on rye in early spring. Exceeding this amount can lead to a large amount of biomass that cuts soybean yield potential.

2. Space soybeans 30 inches or wider. This width allows harvest equipment to run over fewer soybeans during rye harvest.

3. Apply herbicide. If needed, apply a herbicide after cereal rye harvest to clear late-emerging weeds in soybeans.

4. Understand water demands. Relay cropping is a high water-use system. Even with adequate early-season moisture, a dry July or August can squelch soybean yields.

5. Anticipate harvest complications. Perfectly straddling soybean rows can be difficult for combine tires and result in flattened soybeans. Soybean and rye head height may also vary across the field. Draper heads minimize losses when clipping rye heads above the soybean canopy.

6. Select varieties with higher relative maturity.  For every increase in relative maturity point, soybean yield loss was reduced by 0.8 bushel per acre in ISA trials. De Bruin notes that farmers who normally plant soybean varieties with a relative maturity rating of 2.5 may want to plant varieties with 2.8 to 3 in relay intercropping systems.

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7. Harvest rye as early in season as possible. For every day after rye was harvested, soybeans lost yield by an additional 0.9 bushel per acre in ISA trials.