Bean Binoculars Incident

Drought in North Carolina is causing soil crusting. The resulting cracks along the soil surface, stunted soybean growth, and poor emergence was observed to be widespread across the field and general location. Under the soil surface, broken or damaged hypocotyls and cotyledons could be found. Beans at this location were planted on May 29, 2024, are a maturity group 5, and had reached the V2 (second trifoliate) growth stage. Little to no rainfall had occurred since planting. 

There are no management options to combat drought if irrigation is unavailable. You can learn more about soil crusting and the effect on soybeans in this article from NC State Extension.