| dc.description.abstract | Foliar fertilizers as well as nitrogen and potassium fertilization have given variable results in soybean production and little is known about effect of foliar fertilizers on soybean production. More information is needed about effect of foliar fertilizers on the yield parameters and other agronomic traits in soybean. The objectives of this study were to; determine the effect of the two foliar fertilizers and the grain pulse on the performance of the commercial soybean varieties and determine the economic feasibility of using these fertilizers. The five soybean varieties included Maksoy 1N, Maksoy 2N, Maksoy 3N, Maksoy 4N and Maksoy 5N that were planted in a split plot experimental design. The treatments applied were water soluble NPK, grain pulse, super grow and finally the control experiment in which no fertilizer was applied. Water soluble NPK as well as super grow were applied at a rate of 200g per 20 litres of water. Grain pulse is a pre-planting soil fertilizer and was applied by broadcasting just before planting. The yield parameters that were analysed included yield,100 seed weight, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. Other agronomic parameters included plant height, nodulation and number of branches. The effect of the treatments was insignificant on the plant height,100 seed weight and number of branches. However, the varieties had a significant effect on these parameters. There was no significant effect of the treatments on the yield though Maksoy 5N had the highest yield with 1287kg/ha and Maksoy 2N had the lowest yield with 996kg/ha. From the results above, it was discovered that these fertilizers did not improve yields of these soybean varieties. Therefore, it is advisable to cultivate the five commercial varieties without the given fertilizers as it will still give relatively the similar yields. On the economic feasibility, much as there was no significance on the yield it would be more advisable not to use any fertilizer since the control was the most economically feasible. However, further studies should be done with increased locations of these fertilizer trials and increased number of seasons. | en_US |
