Breaking Soybean Yield Barriers: Integrating Crop Production Practices & Comprehensive Fertilization Strategies – a Cropping System Approach
This project is studying the effects of different farming systems on soybean yield in major production regions of the Americas. The specific research objectives are to: 1) quantify soybean yields across various production and fertilization practices, and evaluate the interaction among these practices 2) quantify the yield gap between common farmer practice and more intensive systems, 3) measure nutrient uptake and removal across regions and cropping strategies, and 4) examine nutrient partitioning and movement between soybean plant organs.
IPNI-2014-GBL-62
22 May 2017
2016 Annual Interpretive Summary
- This project is studying the effects of different farming systems on soybean yield in major production regions of the Americas. The objectives are to: 1) quantify soybean yields across various production and fertilization practices, 2) quantify the yield gap between common farmer practice and more intensive management systems, 3) measure nutrient uptake and removal, and 4) examine nutrient partitioning between soybean plant organs. Field experiments were conducted in the 2015/16 season at Ponta Grossa (Parana) and Itiquira (Mato Grosso) in Brazil, and Oliveros (Santa Fe) in Argentina, and in 2016 near Scandia (Kansas, USA).
The experiments at Ponta Grossa and Itiquira evaluated different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), micronutrient fertilization, and soil acidity management. Average yields were higher at Ponta Grossa than Itiquira where soybean averaged 5,050 kg/ha and 3,970 kg/ha. While in the maize phase, yields averaged 13,240 and 7,520 kg/ha for Ponta Grossa and Itiquira, respectively. There was no significant response to treatments observed. A study on dry matter production and NPK uptake partitioning of modern varieties has also been carried out at the Itiquira site.
The experiment at Oliveros evaluated four treatments: common practice (CP); comprehensive fertilization (CF), or CP plus fertilizer input (N, P, K, S, and micronutrients); production intensity (PI), which included narrower rows and higher population, but no fertilizer; and ecological intensification (EI), or PI plus fertilizer input. Soybean yield was in the range of 4,000 to 4,500 kg/ha. There were no significant effects of management detected, but fertilizer management did increase seed yield since soil Bray-P level was in the low-medium range. In maize, grain yields were above 9,900 kg/ha, and also no effect of management were observed. Fertilization had a significant impact with early planting, probably associated with low available N at planting.
Scandia included both dryland and irrigated experiments. Treatments included the same four as Oliveros, plus an advanced (AD) treatment, which was EI with enhanced fertilization. Yields for dryland and irrigated were similar due to favorable seasonable precipitation. Average yields were 4,970 and 5,040 kg/ha for irrigated and dryland conditions, respectively. Yield ranged from 3,760 kg/ha (CP) to 6,050 kg/ha (AD), both under irrigation. EI and AD consistently showed the highest yields, with no significant difference between the two. CF and PI yielded more than CP under irrigation; while for dryland only the PI yield was significantly higher than CP. Production intensification with balanced nutrition (EI and AD) resulted in 57% and 33% more yield than CP for irrigated and dryland, respectively.
The study is planned to continue in 2017.