Effect OF Seed Pelleting And Biochar On Nodulation, Growth And Yield Of Soyabean (Glycine max L.)

ABSTRACT

Pelleting materials and soil amendments have the ability to enhance nitrogen fixation through improved nodulation in leguminous species. Pot and field experiments were conducted in the Sinna Garden, Department of Crop Science, and University Farm, University of Ghana, Legon, during the 2018 minor and 2019 major rainy seasons respectively, to access the effect of seed pelleting with different materials and different soil amendments on nodulation, growth and yield of soybean (Glycine max L.). Data were taken on the following: days to emergence, days to flowering, plant height, number of branches, plant girth, leaf number, leaf area, nodule number, nodule fresh weight, nodule dry weight, leaf dry weight, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, total dry matter, number of pods per plant and N. P. K. content of the plant. The pot experiment was laid in a Completely Randomized Design with four replicates and 12 treatments comprising 2 soybean varieties (Jenguma and Quarshie) inoculated with rhizobium and pelleted using 6 pelleting materials (rice straw biochar, rice husk biochar, saw dust biochar, groundnut husk biochar, rock phosphate and calcium carbonate). The field experiment was conducted using split plot design with 3 replicates made up of the two soybean varieties, 4 soil amendments (rice husk, saw dust, rice straw biochar and rock phosphate fertilizer at 200 g/plot), inoculated soybean only and an uninoculated check. Data were taken on seed yield per plant, 100 seed weight, seed weight per plant, seed yield per plot, total seed yield, harvest index, leaf area index, relative growth rate, organic carbon, soil pH in addition to data as taken in the pot experiment. All data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GENSTAT 12th edition and means separated using LSD (P0.05) in yield among the treatments but soybean with seeds pelleted and addition of soil amendments recorded slightly higher yields over the control.