Abstract
The experiment was to evaluate the influence of potassium fertilizer and liming the soil on yield, yield related traits and quality of soybean (Glycine max L. (merrill) on acidic soil in Gobu Sayo district, western Ethiopia. Soil acidity problem is one of the bottlenecks to improve crop production in high rainfall areas of Ethiopia in general and in western parts of the country in particular. A field experiment was carried out during the 2016 main cropping season at three locations (Gishe, Laften and Ago). Five levels of potassium fertilizer (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 kg ha -1 ) and two levels of lime (0 and 4.6 t ha -1 ) were applied as two factors. Fifty (50) kg ha -1 P 2 O 5 with seed inoculation by biological organism (legume fix strain) was also used as standard check. The eleven treatment combinations were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. KCL was used as K 2 O source and applied in two splits at planting time and at vegetative growth stage. The full dose of lime was broadcasted a month before planting on those plots which received lime. The analysis of variance indicated that there were highly significant interactions (P<0.001) between potassium and lime applications for most measured plant variables, especially on yield and quality parameters except number of seeds per pod. The highest soybean grain yield (3642 kg ha -1 ) was obtained at Gishe site when 60 kgha -1 K 2 O and 4.6 ton ha -1 lime was applied while the lowest yield (1014 kgha -1 ) was recorded at Ago site for the control treatment. As quality of seed, application of K 2 O significantly increased protein content of soybean seeds but lime interaction with K 2 O and K 2 O alone had negative effect in reducing oil content of soybean seeds. Hence, K 2 O at a rate of 60 kgha -1 with 4.6 tha -1 lime were recommended to increase grain yield of soybean in acidic soils of the study areas. However, the response of soybean having different maturity groups and inoculation of different biological strains should further be tested in combination with liming and potassium fertilizer to come up with conclusive recommendations. Keywords : Acidic Soil; Lime; Potassium; Quality; Soybean; Yield DOI : 10.7176/FSQM/90-01 Publication date :September 30 th 2019
Highlights
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is a small erect and branching annual leguminous plant classified under the family Fabacae and sub family Paplionodeae (Sinclair et al, 2001)
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS There was a significant increase in yield and quality parameters of soybean with application of lime and potassium
Significant (P
Summary
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is a small erect and branching annual leguminous plant classified under the family Fabacae and sub family Paplionodeae (Sinclair et al, 2001). In Ethiopia, grain legumes occupy about 13% of the cultivated land and their contribution to agricultural value addition is around 10% (CSA, 2012). Pulses are the third-largest export crops of Ethiopia after coffee and sesame, contributing USD 90 million to export earnings in 2007/08 (IFPRI, 2010). Among food legumes grown in Ethiopia, soybean is gaining more importance in recent years. Extensive works have been done to incorporate soybean as a food legume in people’s diets, either directly in seed form or processed into value-added foods (soy nuts, soy milk, and soy pulp) or added as a blend in traditional foods. The trend of increment in area under the crop is mainly due to a rising demand from domestic processing industries. The country can earn a substantial amount of foreign currency from the export of soybean grain owing to the strategic location of the country to the world consumers
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