Nodulation control of crack fertilization technique reduced the growth inhibition of soybean caused by short-term waterlogging at early vegetative stage

Abstract

Waterlogging is the constraint for soybean growth and yield, because soybean is often cultivated in upland fields converted from paddy in Japan. However, efficient cultivation techniques for alleviating the adverse effects have not been developed. We have proposed the new soybean cultivation technique named crack fertilization which enables yield increase due to enhancing new root growth and N acquisition by increasing nodulation. Waterlogging induces N deficiency due to the suppression of nutrient uptake by the inhibition of root growth and nodule activity. Thus, it is hypothesized that crack fertilization would be effective to alleviate the inhibition of soybean growth and yield. The soybean cultivar of Sachiyutaka was planted in 1/5000 a Wagner pots and root boxes. Two separate waterlogging treatments were imposed to soybean plants at different growth stages, V1 and R4, and crack fertilization was done at V3. After these treatments, soybean plants were sampled at R5 in 2012 and 2013 experiments, respectively. Waterlogging at V1 and R4 inhibited the growth and yield of soybean and nodule growth, and the decreases in physiological parameters of soybean such as photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and xylem sap exudation rate were observed. The adverse effects of waterlogging at V1 were alleviated by crack fertilization at V3, whereas crack fertilization could not alleviate the adverse effects of waterlogging at R4. Thus, crack fertilization after waterlogging at early vegetative stage would be the cultivation technique that enables to alleviate the adverse effects.