Field and greenhouse studies conducted in North Carolina in 1981 and 1982 evaluated the effect of the dimethylamine salt of 2,4-DB [4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butyric acid] on soybeans. In the field, 2,4-DB at and above 0.07 kg ae/ha reduced soybean shoot mass, leaf nitrogen levels, and nodule activity. Soybean seed yields were reduced by 2,4-DB at and above 0.07 kg/ha. In greenhouse studies, total nodule activity was reduced by 0.07 and 0.14 kg/ha of 2,4-DB. Soybeans treated with 2,4-DB at initiation of flowering (R1 stage) or when pods were 1.9 cm long (R4 stage) yielded progeny with visible injury symptoms. Seedling emergence was also reduced in progeny of soybeans.
