Effects of Fertilization on Soybean Productivity

Abstract

Soybean is one of the potential oilseed crops in Bangladesh. The soybean production in our country is lower than other countries because of poor nutrient management. The yield of soybean can be increased by adopting proper fertilization plan. An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of phosphorus and potassium on soybean production (cv. Binasoybean-2). The experiment was consisted of five levels of phosphorus and potassium viz. 0, 20, 40, 80 and 100 kg/ ha as basal application. A randomized complete block design was followed with four replications. We observed maximum seed yield, tallest plant, highest chlorophyll content and highest weight of shoot and root biomasses in 80 kg/ ha of phosphorus and potassium. Both 40 kg/ha and 80 kg/ ha of phosphorus and potassium treatments significantly increased organic carbon and available forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents in soil compared to the controls. However, fertilizer levels above 100 kg/ ha resulted in poor quality of seeds leading to a reduction in yield. The results suggest that phosphorus and potassium fertilization was beneficial in soybean production for enhancing both quality and quantity.