Using Performance Test Results in Soybean Variety Selection in Kentucky

Many soybean varieties are available to, soybean producers in Kentucky each year. Information is available from company advertisements, private yield tests, and public performance tests which producers can use when selecting a variety. The question arises as to how this information relates to variety performance on a particular farm. The value of yield test data lies in the predictive ability of that data. How well does data from a set of environments predict relative performance among varieties over the wide range of possible environments in which those varieties can be grown? The first objective of this note is to discuss the best subset of environments to use for predicting future variety performance. This discussion involves variety selection for yield where no predictable yield reducing factor, .such as soybean cyst nematode, is present. Soybean varieties of maturity group (MG) 3, HG 4 and MG 5 are grown successfully in Kentucky. Thus, a second objective of this report is to discuss how maturity group affects soybean variety performance in Kentucky.