How to Reproduce Hybrid Soybeans

Select a plot or field that's not next to other soybean fields. This prevents cross-pollination from other soybeans.

Plant the two varieties in alternating strips. If you're planting a large field, plant the strips in widths that can be handled by your planting, spraying and harvesting equipment. To increase production, you may plant two strips of the female-parent variety to every one strip of the male-parent variety. Try to plant the rows at a right angle to the direction the prevailing wind takes during the pollination period.

Demasculate the female-parent rows that are producing the hybrid seeds, if needed. Demasculating means making the plant sterile so that it doesn't produce any pollen. This ensures that the plant uses the pollen from the male parent, creating only hybrid seeds. Certain soybean varieties used for producing hybrid seeds are already sterile, so you don't have to demasculate them. For varieties that aren't sterile, spray them with a chemical hybridizing agent that inhibits pollen production. Another way is to manually cut the stamens from the bud of every tiny blossom on the female plants before they begin producing pollen. This method is labor intensive and is generally used only on small test plots by plant breeders.

Care for the soybeans as you would any other crop. Spray pesticides if the crop gets infested with harmful bugs and worms. Weed or spray herbicides on a field if weeds become a problem. The plants are ready for harvest about 85 days after planting, depending on the species.

Harvest the male strips first to reduce the chances that seeds from the male parent will get mixed up with the hybrid seeds. Harvest the female strips after all the male strips have been harvested. Only the sterilized female parents produce the hybrid seeds.