Indeterminate varieties are created by crossing earlier maturity groups with later ones. Early maturity groups bring more yield potential, and later maturity groups tend to be more stable.
Why higher yield potential?
Indeterminates are created by crossing early and late maturity groups. The early maturity group supports yield
potential, prompts larger seed sizes, and more 3 grain pods than later maturity groups. These characteristics are
crossed in indeterminate varieties and bring more yield potential to indeterminate varieties.
Why greater yield stability across various productivity levels and stress environments?
Indeterminate varieties get more yield stability from crossing with later maturity groups. Indeterminate varieties have
a 50% overlap in the vegetative and reproductive stages, whereas determinate varieties only have a 20% overlap. This significant overlap increase gives indeterminate varieties more time to compensate for yield losses due to stressors.
For example, when there is a drought during the reproductive stage, indeterminate varieties can compensate after the drought ends by developing more nodes and pods. This is very different for determinate varieties that cannot produce more nodes or pods once their reproductive stage ends.
Why does planting date flexibility increase yield potential?
Earlier indeterminate varieties mature at the same pace as later determinate varieties, but because earlier maturity
groups have more yield potential than later maturity groups, an earlier indeterminate variety will bring higher yields
than a later determinate. The result is more yield potential with earlier maturity groups that are indeterminate than
determinate varieties in a later maturity group.
Fun fact: The first node on indeterminate varieties is higher than determinate varieties with later planting dates,
meaning there are more pods positioned for higher yields! Why limit yourself and risk yield potential with
determinate varieties when you can have better flexibility, higher yields, and more profitable harvests
with indeterminate?
