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Soybean Response to Sulfur Fertilizer Applied as a Broadcast or Starter Using Replicated Strip Trials
Author(s) -
Kaiser Daniel E.,
Kim KiIn
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj2013.0023
Subject(s) - agronomy , fertilizer , yield (engineering) , starter , nitrogen , field experiment , dry matter , sulfur , grain yield , interaction , chemistry , glycine , biology , materials science , food science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , amino acid , metallurgy
Sulfur fertilizer is not recommended for soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production in the northern Corn Belt even though responses to S have been occurring more frequently in other crops. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of fluid fertilizer combinations containing N, P, and S on early S uptake, soybean grain yield, and S removal and to evaluate various soil and plant tissue testing factors for predicting S need. Field trials were conducted at four locations, one with a sandy soil and three locations with finer soil textures. Preplant broadcast S was compared with liquid starter N and NP combinations applied with and without S 5 cm beside and below the seed row. Nitrogen increased soybean early plant mass while S increased plant S concentration, uptake, S removal in grain, and grain protein concentration but decreased seed oil concentration. Soybean grain yield was increased by S at one location and was not increased by N or P. Grain yield response to S occurred only when soil organic matter concentration was<20 g kg –1 . The factor best correlated to yield response to S was grain S concentration, followed by tissue S concentration at the R2 growth stage and whole‐plant S concentration at the V5 stage. Extractable SO 4 –S in the soil was negatively correlated to yield response to S. The data indicate that soybean plants will accumulate S in higher quantities than needed for growth and development and that yield response is possible under limited circumstances.