How A Soybean Plant Develops, Special Report No. Dry weight consists of everything in the plant except water, including carbohydrates, proteins, oils, and mineral nutrients. The soybean plant produces most of its dry weight through a unique process called photosynthesis . These sugars produced by photosynthesis along with mineral nutrients obtained from the soil are the basic ingredients needed to make the carbohydrates, proteins, and oils of dry weight. In more practical terms, growth, development, and yield of soybeans are all a result of a given variety's genetic potential interacting with its environment.
All varieties have a maximum yield potential that is genetically determined.
This genetic yield potential is obtained only when environmental conditions are perfect, but such perfect growth conditions do not naturally exist. It is the producer's task, therefore, to provide the best possible growth environment for the soybean plant by using such management practices as wise tillage and fertilization of the soil, selecting the most suitable varieties and plant densities, timely weed and insect control, and many other practices. Combinations of these practices vary over different production situations and management levels. Regardless of the specific situation, however, a producer needs to understand soybean growth and development. A producer who understands the soybean plant can use production practices more efficiently to obtain higher yields and profit.