Effect of irrigation regime on yield and yield components of soya bean

Abstract

This study examines the effects of different irrigation regimes on seed yield and yield components of sprinkler-irrigated soya bean [(Glycine max (L.) Merr.] under field conditions in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in Zemun Polje (Srem, Srbija). Four irrigation regimes: 80-85% (T1), 70-75% (T2), 60-65% (T3) of field capacity, and non-irrigated regime (T0) were evaluated each experimental year. The experimental design was a randomised complete block with four replications on a Calcaric Chernozem. Water stress (drought) during growing season in the non-irrigated treatment (T0) decreased plant physiological activity, vegetative growth, and productivity of soya bean. Irrigation treatments significantly (P < 0.01) influenced soya bean seed yield and yield components. The treatment T2 produced higher seed yield than T1 and T3. Irrigation regimes had statistically significant different effects on yield components such as the plant height at harvest, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, mass of pod with seeds per plant, 1,000 seed mass and hectoliter mass of soya bean seeds. Yield reduction was mainly due to a lower number of pods and seeds per plant and lower seed mass. The T1 treatment had the highest plant height of soya bean in all three growing years. The results have shown that under water scarcity, the treatment T3 is an acceptable irrigation strategy to stabilize and increase soya bean yield in Srem and neighboring countries in the region, provided that this practice is not prevented by economic constraints.