Havana, N.D., no-tiller and No-Till Innovator Joe Breker told No-Till Farmer recently that he’s experimenting with intercropping in soybeans with the additional goal of helping manage Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC).

Soybeans need iron to make chlorophyll for photosynthesis. In soils high in calcium carbonate and pH, many soybean varieties struggle to take up iron. This problem, known as iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC), shows up as interveinal yellowing of young leaves.

“Variety selection has typically been the primary way to manage IDC,” says Mary Love Tagert, associate professor for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, in an article in the Soybean Research & Information Network. 

“Research and observation has noted other management factors that have helped alleviate IDC symptoms, but they haven’t been evaluated together.”

The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board checkoff funded a research study led by Tagert to do just that.

“Some research has found that growing oats as a companion crop with soybeans can reduce IDC symptoms,” she says. “The thought is that their use of nitrogen in the soil helps soybeans better access iron. However, a companion crop isn’t practical to manage in our cropping systems.”

Additionally, research at North Dakota State Univ. has shown that IDC increases in soils with high salts and excess N. Planting a cover…