Effect of deep placement of controlled release nitrogen fertilizer (coated urea) on growth, yield, and nitrogen fixation of soybean plants

Abstract

Abstract The objective of these studies is to increase the productivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Enrei] with good quality by the application of controlled release nitrogen fertilizers. Soybean was grown in an upland field converted from a drained paddy field in Niigata. The fertilizer treatments were as follows: (a) control, conventional basal dressing of ammonium sulfate (16 kg N/ha); (b) deep placement, deep placement of coated urea, 100 day type (100 kg N/ha) with basal dressing of ammonium sulfate (16 kg N/ha); (c) top dressing, top dressing of coated urea, 70 day type (100 kg N/ha) just before the flowering stage with basal dressing of ammonium sulfate (16 kg N/ha). We employed the following methods and materials: “15N-labeled fertilizers,” to estimate the amount of N derived from fertilizers; “N-balance method” using the nodulating and non-nodulating isogenic line cv. T202 and T201, to estimate the amount of fixed N2 by root nodules; “relative ureide method” to determine the relative c...