Response of Soybean Cultivars to Foliar Fertilizers Using Iron and Boron in Gypsum Soil

Abstract

To examine the response of soybean cultivars to foliar fertilizers using iron and boron, a field experiment was applied in the Agriculture College, Tikrit University, using Random Complete Block Design (RCBD) and three replications. Four soybean cultivars were used (Lee, Dee, Shaimaa and Laura) and four combinations of foliar fertilization (distilled water (comparison), iron (0.1 mg L-1), boron (0.3 mg L-1) and iron + boron (0.1). +0.3 mg L-1, respectively). Some growth traits and yield were measured to determine the effect of the factors used. The results indicated a significant increase in plant height (7%), 100 seeds weight (0.5%), and plant yield (3%) when plants fertilized with boron compared to spraying with distilled water. The number of pods per plant also increased significantly when adding boron (34%) and iron (37%) compared to distilled water. The cultivar Shaima was significantly higher in plant height (85.36 cm) and plant dry weight (328.43 gm plant-1), 100 seeds weight (11.67 g) and plant yield (48.44 gm plant-1), while the cultivar Lee took a shorter period to 50% flowering (70.25 days) and the number of pods per plant (125.58 pod plan-1). The results of this study will help increase the information in the growth of soybean cultivars in gypsum soils and help in the differentiation among cultivars and using fertilizer combinations of microelements.