These suggestions are based on the overall yield consistency of these varieties in the North Carolina Official Variety Testing (NCOVT) trials. This is intended to serve as a supplemental resource when making varietal selections. For in-depth data and information regarding varietal performance, consult the NC State University Official Variety Testing website and the Variety Selection tool.

Resources in this Article:

NC Official Variety Testing Soybean Performance Data

Variety Selection Tool

NC BeanPACK Decision Tool

2025 Full-Season Variety Suggestions

While it is tempting to look at the raw yields for Bertie County or the greater Coastal Plain region and select the highest yielding variety, it is essential to choose high-performing varieties across time (e.g., multiple years) and location (e.g., numerous testing sites). One way to accomplish this is to downselect varieties within the Variety Selection Tool by limiting the results with two or more years of performance data and then further narrowing to varieties that have yielded 3% or greater above the trial mean for the region. For most growers in Bertie County, the Coastal Plain region would best represent your practices. We want to look at the "% of trial mean" to get a sense of the varieties that have yielded above average across the area, separate from raw yield. With the power of multiple years of data across multiple regional sites, we can tease out varieties that might be worth a few acres on the farm in 2025.

The chart below outlines the full-season soybean varieties that have performed well in the NCOVT for at least 2 years and have achieved a yield greater than 3% of the trial mean for the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina. The table is sorted in order of highest above the trial mean to lowest for the Coastal Plain. Most high-performers were maturity groups 4 and 5, with a sprinkling of maturity groups 3, 6, and 7.

Remember, when selecting varieties, include any challenges you may have in your operation during the decision-making process. This could include complications with poorly drained soils, high soybean cysts nematode pressure, or the preference to plant after cotton is up. Finally, don't put all your eggs in one basket; spread the yield and income risk over multiple varieties. If you were to ask me, I'd tell you to plant no more than 15-20% of your operation in one variety.

Promising Soybean Varieties in 2025

With the quick turnover in varieties, testing out new and promising varieties is often advantageous. The table below outlines the new varieties tested in 2024 that showed good performance across the state. Please remember that these varieties have not been tested in the state for multiple years. Due to this, we lose some clarity when using the available data for a given region to make varietal selection decisions. To regain some clarity, we increase the minimum yield threshold and look at statewide performance. Varieties shown below performed 7% or better than the statewide trial mean in 2024. It is my recommendation that if you do plant any of these varieties, they should make up a small amount of your acres in 2025. Most of the top performers from this list were late maturity group 4 varieties.

Varieties that Perform at the Extremes

The NC State Water Resiliency Research Team has released the 2024 soybean performance data from their trials at the Tidewater Research Station. These trials test soybean varieties under three soil water regimes to determine the variety's overall resiliency. The three water regimens simulate an over-drained (e.g., drought-like), wet, and optimal soil water condition. Their findings are summarized in the 2024 Water Resiliency Soybean Variety Performance Trial Technical Report.

Selecting a Maturity Group and Planting Date

A new resource available this year is the BeanPACK decision support tool. This tool can help optimize your maturity group and planting date decisions. The two tables above show that maturity groups 4 and 5 soybeans are doing well in the Northern Coastal Plain region. However, we see high-performing varieties ranging from late 3 to mid-7 maturity groups. Using the output from the BeanPACK, shown below, for soybeans grown in the Northern Coastal Plain with relative maturities between 3.9 and 7.6 and planted between April 1st and August 15th, the optimal planting date is May 1st.

When considering relative maturities between 3.9 and 7.6 planted during April and May, a 5.4 relative maturity soybean maximizes yield potential in the Northern Coastal Plain.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Bertie County Center at (252) 794-5317