NDSU researchers Ted Helms, Jay Goos and David Franzen have discovered planting two different soybean cultivars in the same field, using GPS mapping and precision farming techniques, can help manage iron-deficiency chlorosis problems.

Iron-deficiency chlorosis symptoms include yellowing between the veins of the trifoliate leaves and can result in death of the soybean growing point. Using the researcher's discovery, soybean growers could map their fields to show areas susceptible to iron-deficiency chlorosis.

Research was conducted in 2006-07 on North Dakota and South Dakota fields with a history of iron-deficiency chlorosis. "Our results showed on the portion of a field that does not have iron-deficiency chlorosis, the highest-yielding cultivars were not tolerant to iron-deficiency chlorosis," Helms said. "However, the highest yielding cultivars on the portion of the field that has iron-deficiency chlorosis, are the most tolerant to iron-deficiency chlorosis."

The research has been published in the March-April issue of Agronomy Journal.