Soybean variety selection

Variety selection

Choose the best soybean varieties for your field

How to inventory your field, to find a yield-maximizing variety
A guide to seed quality, maturity and other key factors.
Buying tips: How many varieties to purchase, traits to ignore and more.

Aphid-resistant soybean varieties for Minnesota fields

List of resistant soybean varieties available in Minnesota.
Overview of resistance genes, called Rag genes (Rag1, Rag2, etc.).
Research on yield: How aphid-resistant varieties compare to aphid-susceptible varieties.

Variety trials

Trials: statewide results

Trials: Southeast Minnesota

Plot reports: by county or individual plot

Generate a personalized soybean plot report

Variety trials entry form

Instructions for 2019 soybean performance checks

2019 Entry letter

The University of Minnesota will be conducting soybean performance tests again in 2019. All varieties must be entered through the form linked on this page by March 22. No hand-written forms will be accepted this year.

Please note the following:

There is NO limit to the number of entries per company.
Entered varieties must be commercially released for 2020 with at least 100 acres of seed increase planted.
If a variety has been entered before, please provide its "previous I.D."
Treated seed will be accepted, but seed treatment used must be indicated.
New discounts for the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) trial in 2019: $350 per entry.

Trial categories

Four categories of trials will be conducted in 2019 (trials may be combined, depending on number of entries):

Far north trials (includes all categories: transgenic and non-transgenic, SCN and special purpose/food type trials) ($300/entry)
General purpose trial (transgenic and non-transgenic commodity-type varieties) ($300/entry)
SCN trial (for varieties that carry resistance) will be conducted at infested locations in the northern, central, and southern zones ($350/entry).
Special purpose/food type trial ($300/entry)

Maturity zones

Performance tests will be conducted in four maturity zones:

Far northern zone (Thief River Falls, Roseau and Crookston)
Maturities must be earlier than RM 0.1
Northern zone (Crookston, Moorhead and Shelly)
SCN locations: Callaway, Red Lake Falls, Ada and Downer
Maturities must be earlier than RM 0.8
Central Zone (Becker, Morris and Rosemount)
SCN locations: Benson, Rosemount and Fairfax
Maturities must be between RM 0.5 and RM 2.2
Southern zone (Westbrook, Lamberton and Waseca)
SCN locations: Waseca, Lamberton and Fairfax
Maturities must be between RM 1.3 and RM 2.4

Other entry information

In addition to type of trial and maturity zone, the web form includes dropdown menus to enter the following information for each variety:

Transgenic traits (e.g. LibertyLink, Roundup Ready, etc.)
Food trait
Flower color
Pubescence color
Hilum color
Phytopthora resistance genes
Source of SCN resistance
Seed treatment

Mailing instructions

Provide 5 lbs (2500 grams) of seed for each variety entered in the conventional, transgenic and special purpose/food trials. Provide 9 lbs (4500 grams) of seed for each entry in the SCN trial.
Submit a separate bag of seed for each entry. For example, if you enter the same variety in two different tests, provide two bags of seed labeled for the tests intended.
Seed must be received by April 12.
Costs for the 2019 variety trial are $300 per entry for the conventional, transgenic and special purpose/food type trials and $350 per entry for the SCN trial.

Please note the correct address for seed and payment depending on method of delivery:

Express mail (UPS, FedEx, etc.)

Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
University of Minnesota
37 Crops Services Building
1895 Hendon Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108

U.S. Mail

Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
University of Minnesota
1902 Dudley Ave.
Crop Research, Room 118
St. Paul, MN 55108

Fill out the form

Click on the link below to enter varieties in the 2019 trial. Be sure to print a copy of your form before submitting. All entry forms and fees are due by March 22. Deadline for seed is April 12.

Complete the 2019 variety trial entry form

Seed quality