Agronomic efficiency of foliar nanozinc applied at reproductive stages of soybean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2026v47n1p67Keywords:
Nano Zinc, Foliar fertilization, Soybean (Glycine max (L.)), Plant nutrition.Abstract
Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient in plant metabolism and is involved in the enzyme activation and synthesis of growth hormones such as indole-3-acetic acid. Although required in small amounts, the low availability of Zn in Brazilian soils limits soybean productivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different foliar Zn doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 L ha⁻¹) applied at two reproductive stages (R1 and R5.1) on morpho-agronomic traits, yield components, and grain yield of soybean. Experiments were conducted during two growing seasons (2022/23 and 2024/25) using a randomized complete block design with four replicates. The evaluated variables included the number of pods (NP), number of grains per plant (NG), thousand-grain weight (TGW), and grain yield (YLD). Significant effects of various Zn doses were observed for NG, TGW, and YLD, with quadratic responses indicating an optimal range of 0.75–1.06 L ha⁻¹ for yield maximization. Although application timing alone was not statistically significant, foliar Zn application at the R5.1 stage showed greater biological responsiveness than at R1, likely because of higher Zn demand and utilization during grain filling. Correlation analysis revealed that in the 2022/23 season, yield was strongly associated with NP and NG (r > 0.85), whereas in 2024/25, TGW contributed more to yield formation. These findings highlight the importance of foliar Zn application during advanced reproductive stages, particularly R5.1, as a strategy to optimize Zn-use efficiency and enhance soybean yield in high-performance production systems.
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Copyright (c) 2026 João Pedro Chacon Pereira, Letícia Elisiane Beluzzo, Mateus Gava Pinheiro , Felipe Augusto Vacario, Gabriela Machineski da Silva, Luiz Henrique Campos de Almeida, Inês Cristina de Batista Fonseca
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