Have Your Soybeans Been Hailed On?

Recent weather conditions in the region have brought significant hailstorms, raising concerns for soybean producers. While hail damage is always a concern, it's important to understand how it affects soybean crops differently than other crops like corn. Fortunately, soybeans have a remarkable ability to recover, especially during the vegetative stages.

Impact of Hail on Soybeans

Hail that causes leaf loss and defoliation during the early vegetative stages of soybean growth generally has little effect on final yield potential. This is because soybeans are resilient and can regrow leaves from multiple above-ground growing points. However, stand loss can be more detrimental to yield. For example, if a soybean field originally had 120,000 plants per acre and half of the stand was lost to hail, the yield potential would drop to 75%-80% of normal, a 20-25% reduction.

Soybean's Resilience: Multiple Growing Points

Unlike corn, which has a single growing point, soybeans have several above-ground growing points that can compensate for damage. At the V1 growth stage (when the plant has one trifoliate leaf), a soybean plant has multiple axillary buds—two at the cotyledons, two at the unifoliate leaves, and one at the trifoliate leaf, plus one terminal bud. This gives soybeans the potential to regrow stems from these buds, especially if the plant was cut above the cotyledons. The ability to regenerate from these growing points helps soybeans recover from hail damage.

Unexpected Synergy in Recovery

From my experience, I’ve often observed that, in some cases, hail damage can trigger an unidentified synergy within the soybean plant's recovery process, which can sometimes result in a slight yield boost. While this is not always the case, soybeans are known for their remarkable resilience and ability to bounce back from significant defoliation.

Action Steps

If your soybeans have been affected by hail, it's crucial to assess the damage carefully. As a reminder, be sure to contact your insurance agent and have a field adjuster visit before considering replanting. Proper evaluation can help you determine whether the field can recover or if replanting is necessary.

For a more detailed, step-by-step guide on evaluating hail damage in soybeans, check out this publication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln:
Step-by-Step Soybean Hail Damage Evaluation