to Fehr and Caviness (1977), but the total protein content of the plant continues to increase with pod fill until Recently, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars have been stage R7 (Willard, 1925; Good, 1942;Munoz et al., 1983; developed specifically for use as a forage crop. The objective of this Ritchie et al., 1982). For this reason, Good (1942) found study was to determine the effect of maturity group on and compare the agronomic performance of forage and grain soybean cultivars in that late-cut soybean hay contained a greater proportion Iowa. In 1994, 13 forage-and five grain-type cultivars were studied.of protein and oil than did early-cut hay.In 1995, one additional forage cultivar and grain cultivar were each Soybean leaf dry matter and total dry matter are also evaluated. Node number, plant height, lodging, and dry matter accuinfluenced by photoperiod. A soybean cultivar will genmulation were measured biweekly during the growing season. By 135 erally produce greater vegetative growth and dry matter days after planting (DAP), forage cultivars yielded 5 to 19% more as the photoperiod is increased (Johnson and Major, dry matter than 'Sherman', which had the greatest yield among grain 1979). Greater internode elongation and leaf expansion cultivars. Forage cultivars were 37 to 69% taller than 'Biloxi', the also occur as the photoperiod increases (Caffaro and tallest grain cultivar, which may partially explain the greater lodging Nakayama, 1988). Soybean cultivars are classified acof the forage cultivars compared with the grain cultivars. Forage cording to maturity groups, ranging from 00 (early matucultivars initiated reproductive growth 60 to 88 DAP, whereas the locally adapted Sherman cultivar initiated reproductive growth 55 rity) to VIII (late maturity), reflecting the photoperiod DAP. Forage cultivars produced more dry matter than grain cultivars, that maximizes grain yield.
but had a lower leaf/stem ratio and leaf ϩ pod/stem ratio in AugustThe objectives of this study were to compare the and September, respectively, which may reduce forage quality. Forage vegetative growth, development, and aboveground dry cultivars developed in Pennsylvania generally accumulated more dry matter yield of grain-type and experimental forage-type matter than forage cultivars developed in Virginia by late August, soybean cultivars in Iowa and to determine whether but initiated reproductive growth sooner and produced less dry matter differences between forage and grain cultivars were due by late September. The significant productivity differences observed to maturity group or other qualities. between forage and grain cultivars suggest the potential of breeding to improve the forage potential of soybean.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Location and DesignThe center two rows from each four-row plot were sampled. Dry matter production was determined by harvesting all the aboveground plant material from the southern 1.5 m of the