Integrated Fertilizers Synergistically Bolster Temperate Soybean Growth, Yield, and Oil Content

Muhammad Aamir Iqbal,Raina Ijaz,Brandon J. Bethune,Zahoor Ahmad,Omar M. Ali,Raees Ahmed,Rana Zain Raza,Junaid Rahim,Mohsin Zafar

doi:10.3390/su14042433

Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Raina Ijaz + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042433

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Abstract

For ensuring food security and imparting sustainability to modern commercial-oriented and highly intensive temperate farming systems, organic wastes from poultry and dairy industries constitute biologically viable strategy to improve crops productivity under changing climate. A field trial was undertaken to appraise the impact of broiler litter (BL = 5 tons ha−1), farm yard slurry (FYS = 10 tons ha−1), and chemical fertilizers including di-ammonium phosphate (DAP = 60 kg ha−1) and single super phosphate (SSP = 60 kg ha−1) applied solely and in conjunction with each other, along with a control treatment (NM). The synergistic fertilization regime encompassing BL+DAP triggered the vegetative growth of soybean as indicated by taller plants having thicker stems and higher leaf area per plant compared to NM. In addition, this fertilization management system improved reproductive yield attributes including pods number and 100-seeds weight which maximized the seed yield, harvest index, seed oil content, and biological yield by 66%, 5%, 31%, and 23% respectively than NM. Moreover, this fertilizers combination was followed by SSP + BL, while BL performed better than FYS and DAP remained superior to SSP. Furthermore, the correlation analyses indicated moderately stronger direct association of seed yield with vegetative growth traits and highly stronger linear relationship with reproductive yield attributes. Thus, co-application of broiler litter (5 tons ha−1) with reduced doses of DAP (60 kg ha−1) might be recommended to temperate soybean growers having access to poultry wastes.

Highlights

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Globally, leguminous crops are of vital pertinence for ensuring the food and nutritional security of rapidly increasing population especially in temperate regions of developing countries in South Asia (Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh)
The findings revealed that fertilization regimes had significant influence on vegetative growth of temperate soybean in comparison to control treatment (NM = no mineral or organic soil amendment) (Table 1)
Respectively) and it remained statistically at par to BL applied in conjunction with SSP that exhibited the plant height of 80.85 cm

Summary

Introduction

Leguminous crops are of vital pertinence for ensuring the food and nutritional security of rapidly increasing population especially in temperate regions of developing countries in South Asia (Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh). Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) constitutes one of the largest cultivated crops of Fabaceae family in the world [1]. It finds multi-dimensional uses in recent times and has been declared as the meat of plant origin and king of beans due to its high quality protein [2].

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