Limitations to the use of no-tillage production systems in the upper Midwest have been the slow emergence and early growth compared to a tilled system. The objective of this study was to determine variety differences in soybean growth and development in a no-tillage vs. a tilled system in Iowa. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with four replications. Main plot was tillage vs. no-tillage. The tillage blocks were chiseled in the fall and field cultivated in the spring. The no-tillage blocks were undistributed after the previous crop (corn). Sub plot were four varieties (Dekalb DKB27-52, Dekalb DKB28-52, Pioneer P93M11 and Stine 3128-4). The experiment was conducted at two locations (Nevada and Hudson). Plots were established in 38-cm row spacing planted at 370 000 seeds per hectare. Plot size was 10 by 50 ft and was further divided into two sub-plots of 10 by 25 ft where one of the sub-plots was used for harvest and the other sub-plot was used for monitoring soybean growth and development through out the growing season. Sections of 3 ft2 were hand harvested and used to determine dry matter at the R1, R3, R5.5 and R8 growth stage to calculate crop growth rate. Light interception was measured at every sampling time. Development, growth stage, and plant height information will be collected based on a sample of three plants randomly collected from the hand-harvested section. The three plants will be separated into leaves and stems, pods, and seeds. All dry weight samples will be oven-dried at 60°C to a constant weight to determine soybean yield on a dry-weight basis. Data from the 2007 growing season will be presented in the poster.