Shatter loss at combine header. These losses occur when the header is operated improperly or when the crop tends to shatter easily. Shatter losses increase with crop dryness. When the reel speed is too fast or the reel is positioned too far forward, soybeans are shelled in front of the combine. Reel peripheral speed should not exceed forward speed of the combine by more than 25 percent.
Peripheral speed is easier to adjust on combines with variable speed reel controls.
Consider shatter losses of 2 percent acceptable. Average losses are 5 percent or more. Often many pods are left on the stubble because they have been missed by the cutterbar and were not gathered into the combine. Overcome this problem by keeping the field level and using a flexible cutterbar or special row-crop head for soybeans. Stubble losses should be no more than 0.75 percent of the total crop yield.