Development of Soybean Fresh and Dry Weight Relationships for Real Time Model Calibration

Measurements of dry weight and crop phenology are normally used to validate comprehensive growth models. To reduce this requirement in applications such as large area yield forecasting, the present research was conducted to study the change of dry matter concentration (ratio of dry weight to fresh weight) of the vegetative and reproductive plant components of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The paper evaluates the usefulness of simple statistical equations that relate dry matter concentration to developmental stages for the specific purpose of growth model calibration. During the 1984 through 1985 seasons, five cultivars of soybean were grown in five locations throughout the soybean producing regions of the U.S. Soil type, planting date, plant population, and irrigation management varied from site to site []