Evaluating the long-term influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soybean plant growth and yield parameters

Introduction

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important oilseeds pulse crop in world and it belongs to family Leguminosae with sub family Papilionaceae. Over the past few decades, the adoption of intensive cropping systems, coupled with the cultivation of high-yielding crop varieties, has depleted the natural soil fertility, thereby posing a significant threat to sustainable crop production. Additionally, widespread nutrient deficiencies have become a concern Singh et al., (2013) [17] ; Bhagwat et al., 2018) [2] . It has protein (40-42%) & 18-20% oil content with additional nutritive value. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Telangana are the states that grow the most soybeans. Madhya Pradesh is known as the "Soya State" because it contributes around 60% of India's soybean farming, making it the oilseed with the largest acreage and production. Sustainable production levels and environmental preservation can result from integrated nutrient management. However, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil as well as crop yields have been shown to improve when manures and chemical fertilizers are used together (Dwivedi et al. 2016). Applying FYM accelerated the hydrolysis of easter-bond P to plant-available P by increasing the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase, phosphodiesterase, inorganic pyrophosphates, and dehydrogenase (Dinesh et al., 2003) [4] . Vermicompost has been shown to improve the development and yield of a variety of plants, including soybeans and other crops, either applied alone or in conjunction with other organic fertilizers (Javed et al. 2013) [8] . Therefore, in order to maintain soil health and boost productivity, coordinated management of nutrients and crop residue is important. In addition to boosting agricultural productivity and sustainability, soil and crop management techniques that make use of organic amendments like animal and crop leftovers may also raise the amount of organic carbon and microbial activity in the soil. Thus, an experiment was carried out to investigate the impact of ongoing manurial application on soybean output in vertisols in Madhya Pradesh's Malwa Plateau region.

Material and methods:

A field experiment was carried out during Kharif 2021, a field experiment was conducted on medium to black soil with a pH of 7.63 and an organic carbon content of 0.58% at Research Farm, College of Agriculture, RVSKVV, Indore. The soil had high levels of potassium (585 kg/ha), medium levels of phosphorus (21.0 kg/ha), and moderate levels of nitrogen (208.0 kg/ha). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications consisting of nine treatments. The treatments included: T₁: Control (no nutrient application); T₂: Fertilizer application at N₂₀P₁₃ (20 kg N ha⁻¹ + 13 kg P ha⁻¹); T₃: Fertilizer application at N₃₀P₂₀ (30 kg N ha⁻¹ + 20 kg P ha⁻¹); T₄: Fertilizer application at N₄₀P₂₆ (40 kg N ha⁻¹ + 26 kg P ha⁻¹); T₅: Fertilizer application at N₆₀P₃₅ (60 kg N ha⁻¹ + 35 kg P ha⁻¹); T₆: Farmyard manure (FYM) @ 6 t ha⁻¹ applied during the rainy season in combination with N₂₀P₁₃ (20 kg N ha⁻¹ + 13 kg P ha⁻¹); T₇: Soybean crop residues @ 5 t ha⁻¹ in combination with N₂₀P₁₃ (20 kg N ha⁻¹ + 13 kg P ha⁻¹); T₈: Farmyard manure (FYM) @ 6 t ha⁻¹; and T₉: Soybean crop residues @ 5 t ha⁻¹. The crop residues and FYM are applied 7 days before sowing and mixed well in soil. Inorganic fertilizers are applied as basal dose at sowing. The produce is sold @ Rs. 4 per kg of grain yield.

Results and Discussion

Effect on Growth Attributes: Plant height, total dry matter (TDM), number of seeds per plant, and test weight are the main growth parameters of soybeans that are affected by different treatments, as shown in Table 1. There were statistically significant differences between the treatments. Treatment T 6 (FYM 6t/ha + N20P13) had the highest values for these growth parameters, whereas the control treatment, T 1 , had the lowest values. T 6 (56.4 cm) had the highest plant height, followed by T 5 (56.2 cm), T 7 (55.3 cm), T 4 (55.1 cm), T 8 (52.2 cm), T 3 (52.4 cm), T 9 (49.4 cm), and T 2 (48.3 cm). There was statistical similarity between these treatments. T 1 had the lowest plant height (43.1 cm), which was statistically lower than the treatments T 6 , T 5 , T 7 , T 4 , T 8 , T 3 , and T 9 . The number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, TDM, number of seeds per plant, and test weight all showed a similar pattern. The control treatment had the lowest test weight (11.4 g), whereas T 6 (FYM 6t/ha + N20P13) had the highest (12.1 g), which was comparable to the other treatments and statistically better than T 1 . The study's findings are consistent with those of Kumar et al. (2010) [9] , Kumar and Kumawat (2014) [10] , and Kumar et al. (2018) [11] .

Effect on Yield Attributes

Seed yield (kg ha -1 ): As per the data from Table 2 displays the statistics on soybean seed yield as affected by various treatments.

Treatment T 6 (FYM 6 t/ha + half of the required amount of N and P) produced the highest soybean seed production of 2497 kg/ha, followed by T 7 (Residues 5 t/ha + T 2 ) at 2313 kg/ha, T 5 (N60P35) at 2262 kg/ha, and T 4 (N40P26) at 2112 kg/ha. The yields for T 3 (N30P20) and T 8 (FYM 6 t/ha) were 1991 kg/ha and 1890 kg/ha, respectively, while T 9 (Residues 5 t/ha) and T 2 (N20P13) recorded yields of 1775 kg/ha and 1679 kg/ha, respectively. Treatment T 6 demonstrated advantage over the other treatments, while T 4 , T 5 , and T 6 were statistically equivalent. With a seed yield of 1342 kg/ha, the control treatment (T 1 ) outperformed all other treatments statistically. These findings are consistent with the results of Schilling et al. (2021) [14] and Sharma et al. (2021) [15] .

The trends in soybean straw yield align with the trends observed in soybean seed yield across the different treatment combinations. As shown in Table 2, the mean straw yield of soybean was highest with the INM treatment (T 6 -FYM 6 t/ha + N20P13), yielding 2313 kg/ha. In contrast, the control treatment (T 1 ) recorded the lowest straw yield at 1342 kg/ha. These results are consistent with the findings of Ogallala et al.

The data on the harvest index of soybean, presented in Table 2 shows that the highest harvest index of 45.26% was achieved with treatment T 6 (FYM 6 t/ha + N20P13). The lowest harvest index of 42.17% was recorded in the control treatment (T 1 ). The combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers, along with micronutrients, created favorable soil conditions that improved nutrient availability, which was reflected in the crop's yield attributes. These findings are consistent with the research by Sikka et al. (2013) [16] , Singh et al. (2018b) [18] , and Tomar et al. (2018) [20] .

Economics:

The economic evaluation of soybean cultivation revealed that the application of FYM 6 t/ha + N20P13 resulted with maximum seed yield of 2497 kg/ha, with net returns of Rs. 84,865 per hectare and a return per rupee of 3.09. This treatment also yielded the maximum gross returns of Rs 112,365. In comparison, the treatment with Residues 5 t/ha + T 2 produced 2313 kg/ha, with net returns of Rs. 76,585 per hectare and a return per rupee of 2.78, and gross returns of Rs. 104,085. As per the data Table 2, the economic impact was evaluated using gross returns, net returns, and the benefit-cost ratio. In comparison to the control treatment (T 1 ), treatments T 7 (Residues 5 t/ha + T 2 ), and T 9 (Residues 5 t/ha), treatment T 6 (FYM 6 t/ha + N20P13) produced the best net return. T 6 had the highest B:C ratio (3.09), which was statistically similar to treatments T 2 (N20P13), T 4 (N40P26), T 5 (N60P35), and T 3 (N30P20). Additionally, these treatments outperformed T 1 (control), T 7 , T 8 (FYM 6 t/ha), and T 9 . These findings are consistent with those of Chaturvedi and Chandel (2005) [3] , who found that applying 100% recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF) and FYM increases soybean production, which raises net returns and the benefit-cost ratio. Additionally, the results agreed with those of Tiwari et al. (2021) [19] .

Conclusion

In order to increase soybean growth and output, the study emphasizes the significance of both organic and inorganic fertilization. The lowest growth metrics and soybean yield were produced by the control treatment (T 1 ), highlighting the limited efficacy of depending only on native soil fertility. On the other hand, treatment T 6 , which applied 6 tons of farmyard manure (FYM) per hectare together with a balanced dose of N20 P13 (nitrogen and phosphorus), showed the biggest increases in yield and growth metrics. The combined effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers are responsible for treatment T 6 's improved performance. Better root development and nutrient uptake were probably facilitated by the FYM's increased microbial activity, improved soil structure, and higher soil organic carbon content. Higher yields and ideal plant development resulted from the added nutrients from N20 P13 supporting the growing process. In summary, the combination of FYM and nutritional supplementation enhanced economic returns and maximized soybean yield, making it a viable approach to sustainable soybean farming. The success of Treatment T 6 shows how important integrated nutrient management is to attaining better agricultural results.

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