Effect of Deep Placement of N Fertilizers and Different Inoculation Methods of Bradyrhizobia on Growth, N2 Fixation Activity and N Absorption Rate of Field-grown Soybean Plants

Abstract

The effects of deep placement (supplied at 20 cm depth from soil surface below plants) of 100 kg N ha−1 of N fertilizers, urea, coated urea or calcium cyanamide (lime nitrogen) on the growth, nitrogen fixation activity, nitrogen absorption rate and seed yield of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) plants were examined by comparing them with control plots without deep placement of N fertilizer in sandy dune field. In addition, three different inoculation methods of bradyrhizobia were used for each N treatment: (1) transplantation of 10-day-old seedling in a paper pot with vermiculite inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, (2) direct transplantation of inoculated 10-day-old seedlings, and (3) transplantation of 10-day-old seedlings in a non-inoculated paper pot. The deep placement of N fertilizers, especially calcium cyanamide and coated urea, markedly increased the growth and total N accumulation in shoot, roots and nodules, which resulted in an increase in seed yield. Daily N2 fixation activity and N absorption rate were estimated by relative abundance of ureide-N analysed from the concentration of N constituents (ureide-N, amide-N and nitrate-N) in root bleeding xylem sap and increase in total N accumulation in whole plants at R1, R3, R5 and R7 stages. The total amount of N2 fixation was about 50 % higher in the plants with calcium cyanamide and coated urea deep placements compared with control plants. Deep placement of slow release fertilizers kept nodule dry weight higher in the maturing stage of seed, possibly through abundant supply of photoassimilate to the nodules by supporting leaf area and activity until late reproductive stages. The results indicate that deep placement of calcium cyanamide or coated urea enhances N2 fixation activity, which ultimately increases the seed yield. The promotive effect was observed with the seedlings transplanted in paper pot with inoculum of bradyrhizobia within any treatments, although nodulation by indigenous rhizobia was observed in the plants transplanted with non-inoculated paper pot.