Fertilization and mineral nutrition of soybean in mesa de Guanipa, Anzoategui State, Venezuela

Abstract

Abstract An experiment was conducted on some soils of Mesa de Guanipa, which are sandy, acid (pH 5.5), and have low levels of available P, K, Ca, and Mg. These soils are located at the Agropecuaria Guanipa farm in El Tigre, Anzoategui State, Venezuela. The main objective was to evaluate rates and sources of P, and rates of K on soybean yield (variety FP‐3), which is an activity of the project “Maximum soybean yields in Venezuela”;, financed by the Potash and Phosphate Institute of Canada. The rates and sources of P were 0, 75, and 150 kg P2O5/ha as triple superphosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP). Rates of potassium as K2O were 0, 60, and 120 kg/ha as potassium chloride (KCl). The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 3 replications and a final plant density equivalent to 400,000 plants/ha. A basic application of nitrogen and magnesium fertilizers was made to guarantee the supply of those nutrients. The soybean seeds were inoculated at planting with NITROBAC to ensure nodule f...