Poultry manure effects on yield and some agronomic components of Soybean (Glycine max L.) under Khost agro-ecological conditions, Afghanistan

Abstract

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], which has the highest protein content of all food crops, is the world’s leading source of protein and oil. Soybeans are commonly consumed by humans in the form of soymilk, soy protein, tofu, infant formula, miso, natto, soy flour, and soy sauce. They are a popular protein-rich food source in most Asian countries. Worldwide, approximately 85% of soybean's produce has been processed into soy food. While in developing countries like Afghanistan, limited farmers used inorganic fertilizers in soybean fields through the high cost, marketing problems and poor economic conditions. If we have alternative resources for soil fertility like organic manure, this problem can somewhat be solved. The objective of this study was to test the effects of different levels of poultry manure on the yield and yield components of the soybean crop. The field experiment was conducted in 2019 in Almara Village of Nadar Shah Kot District of Khost Province. Soybean variety LD04-13265 was grown with four levels of manure (0, 1, 2, and 4 tons ha-1) using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates. Results revealed that manure invariably influenced most parameters under study. The highest grain yield (1212.95 kg ha-1) was obtained with 4 tons ha-1 (T3) followed by T2 and T1 (1145.16 and 1138.24, respectively). Poultry manure also had positive effects on the agronomic characters. Plant height, number of branches, pods plant-1, seed pod-1 were among the most affected. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations among the grain yield and yield components but non correlation was found for 100 seed weight with other observed parameters. As per the results of this research, 4 tons of poultry manure is the optimum amount to be used for soybean production.