Running over beans two times in the same wheel tracks causes some harm, however, and three or more times can badly injure both stand and productivity. Solid seeding tends to make harvesting more efficient. Drilled bean plants tend to wrap around the reel ends, so harvesting solid-seeded beans requires one combine adaptation. You must put separation snouts on the outside ends of the header or add end-enclosed reels. These changes also reduce harvesting loss that is caused by reel ends catching and throwing plants.
Desirable drill features.
Uniform seed spacing in the row is desirable, but slight variation in the spacing distances has less effect on soybean yield than on corn yield. You can set some old drills, but others may need changes to enable the throat to open wide enough to avoid seed damage without overseeding. Seed depth control is usually less uniform than with a conventional planter. Tests on metering devices indicate no significant difference in seed germination, seed spacing or yield between the fluted roller meter, the double-run cup meter, the air drum meter or the conventional plate planter. High-yielding soybeans require adequate nutrition.