Foliar Application of Macro- and Micronutrients Improves the Productivity, Economic Returns, and Resource-Use Efficiency of Soybean in a Semiarid Climate

Sustainability

Subhash Babu¹  Anchal Dass¹  Raj Singh¹  Anil K. Choudhary¹  Teekam Singh¹  Sanjay Singh Rathore¹  Ramanjit Kaur¹  Kapila Shekhawat¹  Rishi Raj¹  Shiva Dhar¹  Sanjay K. Lal²  Gandhamanagenahalli A. Rajanna³  Chandu Singh⁴  Bipin Kumar⁵ 

[1] Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India;Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India;ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Regional Station, Anantapur 515001, Andhra Pradesh, India;Seed Production Unit, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India;WTC, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India;

关键词: foliar nutrition;    seed yield;    zinc;    resource use efficiency;    micronutrients;    soybean;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su14105825

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Inadequate nutrient management is one of the major challenges for sustainable soybean production in semi-arid climatic conditions. Hence, a 3-year (2015–2017) field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of foliar application of macro- and micronutrients on the growth, productivity, and profitability of soybean. Eight foliar nutrient sprays at the pod initiation stage—water spray (WS), 2% urea solution, 2% di-ammonium phosphate solution (DAP_2%), 0.5% muriate of potash solution (MOP_0.5%), 2% solution of 19:19:19 nitrogen phosphorus and potassium (NPK_2%), and a 0.5% solution each of molybdenum (Mo_0.5%), boron (B_0.5%), chelated-zinc (Zn _0.5%) and no-foliar nutrition (NFN)—were compared with a basal-applied recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 30 kg N, 75 kg P, and 40 kg K ha⁻¹) in a randomized block design (RBD), replicated three times. Foliar-applied chelated Zn@0.5% (Zn_0.5%) at the pod initiation stage resulted in more pods per plants. In addition to Zn_0.5%, urea_2%, NPK_2%, and B_0.5% significantly improved the pods per plant over treatment by no-foliar nutrition (NFN). The RDF-supplied soybean subsequently sprayed with Zn_0.5% produced the highest seed yield, which was 18.5–37.8% higher than that of NFN treatment Yield improvement due to the application of B_0.5%, DAP_2%, and urea_2% varied between 19.2–23.7, 16.6–20.4 and 18.6–20%, respectively. Foliar nutrition showed the largest net returns from Zn_0.5%. The water-use efficiency (WUE) and production efficiency increased by 18.4–37.6 and 34.9–37.5%, respectively, due to Zn_0.5% over the efficiencies from NFN treatment. Monetary efficiency (ME) gains due to Zn_0.5% were 24% higher, while ME efficiency gains due to urea_2%, NPK_2%, and B_0.5% varied between 15–16%. Thus, this study suggested that the foliar application of 0.5% Zn and B, urea, NPK fertilizer, and DAP at 2%, along with RDF. is a profitable nutrient management option for quality soybean production in a semiarid region. However, nutrient partitioning, changes in soil chemical and biological indicators, and environmental aspects need critical examination in future studies.

【 授权许可】

Unknown