Terminal bud removal has been thought as a useful practical management of soybean cultivation in Korea, and such cultivating method has been recommended till recent times. Many experiments about the effect of bud removal have been made, but it is not certain yet.
This study was conducted to determine if source potential and seed yield would be affected by bud removal in 4 determinate soybean varieties. Terminal bud was removed by hand at the 5 trifoliolate stage of growth. Data were collected on leaf area and leaf dry matter weight from 58 to 101 DAP by nearly every 10 days and some agronomic characteristics and seed yield after maturity. Removing the apical bud did not increased leaf area and leaf dry matter. Number of modes and pods per a plant was increased by bud removal, but number of seeds per a pod was decreased, and seed yield was unchanged by such offsets.
From the data, we concluded the source potential of soybean plants was not increased by terminal bud removal under the planting density, 22,000 plt/10a, however it would be a useful way to reduce the lodging or over-growth.