Irrigating Soybean

When irrigating soybean in Nebraska, the producer has two irrigation scheduling options:

1. Scheduling irrigation to coincide with critical reproductive stages can be used on deep medium- to fine-textured soils. If soil water is at field capacity at planting, and precipation is not severely deficient during the vegetative stage, irrigation can be delayed until the full flower stage if no water stress is allowed thereafter and white mold is not a potential or real problem.

2. Scheduling irrigation on the basis of crop water use is an ideal method, particularly if the soil texture is sandy loam or coarser.