Growth and yield performance of soybean with the application of Bradyrhyzobium inoculant via furrow and seed

Abstract

Given the high costs of agricultural production, especially due to the price of fertilisers, particularly nitrogen, the use of inoculants to supply nitrogen to soybean crops is a widely recommended practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of applying inoculants through seed and planting furrow in soil previously cultivated with soybean and Brazilian native "cerrado" biome soil under greenhouse conditions. Seven treatments were tested: 1) inoculation via seed (inoculant + fungicide + micronutrient), 2) treatment via seed (fungicide + micronutrient), 3) control (only seed), 4) inoculation via furrow-dose 1 (recommended dose), 5) inoculation via furrow-dose 2 (twice the recommended dose), 6) inoculation via furrow-dose 3 (three times the recommended dose) and 7) inoculation via furrow-dose 1 + seed inoculation. We evaluated plant height, fresh and dry matter weight of the aerial part and nodules, number of total, viable and non-viable nodules, number of pods per plant and grain yield. Inoculation was more effective when used in cerrado soil, but soybean performance in treatments without inoculation was higher in previously cultivated soil. Application through furrow proved to be a viable practice due to the similarity of the results obtained with the traditional application by seed.