
Group 5 beans by May best bet in South CarolinaGroup 5 beans by May best bet in South Carolina
Clemson University Extension corn and soybean specialist Michael Plumblee confirmed earlier research that shows maturity group 5 soybeans planted in early May is the best planting combination for South Carolina soybean farmers seeking higher yields.

Planting maturity group 5 soybeans around May 1 is still the best way to go for South Carolina soybean farmers.
Clemson University Extension corn and soybean specialist Michael Plumblee noted that research conducted by his team in 2024 confirmed earlier research that shows maturity group 5 soybeans planted in early May is the best planting combination for South Carolina soybean farmers seeking higher yields.
“I know there has been a lot of interest in the Group 4s over the last few years. I’m not telling you not to grow them (Group 4 soybeans). At the end of the day, if we can grow a Group 5 soybean and avoid some of the quality issues we have with the fours, then maybe that’s the route that we need to go at least in a year where we’re trying to mitigate risk, trying to maximize our profitability,” Plumblee said at the North Carolina Corn and Soybean Growers meeting Dec. 17 at the Santee Conference Center in Santee.
In their 2024 research, Plumblee and his team evaluated the impact of planting date, maturity group, seeding rate and potassium rate on yield in irrigated soybeans. “Planting date was super significant in terms of yield and so was the planting date maturity group interaction,” Plumblee explained.
In the trial, the Clemson scientists evaluated three different planting dates: April 15, May 1 and May 15. They planted both group 4 and group 5 soybeans. They tested different seeding rates from 60,000 seeds per acre up to 150,000 seeds per acre. They used two potassium rates: one at soil test recommendations and one double the recommended rate.
“We wanted to see if there was anything we could do agronomically to pick up a lot of yield,” Plumblee said.
Plumblee noted that 2024 was a very dry year and the potassium rate didn’t have a significant impact on yield. He said surprisingly, the lower seeding rate of 60,000 seeds per acre didn’t impact yield in the trial.
According to USDA, South Carolina Soybean farmers planted 390,000 acres in 2024, about the same as in 2023. Average yield for the state was 34 bushels per acre in 2024, or five bushels less than the 2023 average. They produced 12.9 million bushels, down 14% from 2023.
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