Soil pH and Plant Population Effects on Soybean Yield

The liming of soils is an important part of the overall fertility program for soybean production. Liming requirements are generally based on the soil pH. Soybeans are adversely affected by acidity when the pH falls below about 5.8. There is considerable interest in specific soil pH management recommendations in Iowa. Since soil pH varies across Iowa, it is likely that current plant populations for soybeans need to be optimized depending on soil pH. The objective of this study was to identify the optimum plant populations for soybeans at different soil pH readings.