| dc.description.abstract | Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the world‟s most important legume crop because of its high
protein content (40%) and oil (20%) content. It is ranked among the cheapest source of protein
for both human food and livestock feeds. The crop can be cultivated in many places with low
level of agricultural inputs (Gan et al.,2003). The study aimed at assessment of the effect of
soybean planting density and weeding on root characteristics of A Maksoy3 variety at Makerere
University agricultural research institute Kabanyolo. The experiment was set up in the field (at
MUARIK), with treatments arranged in a Randomized Compete Block Design (RCBD) but in a
spit plot arrangement. Soybean variety Maksoy 3N was planted at 400,000 (S); 500,000 (H1);
666,667 (H2); 1,000,000 (H3); 333,333 (L1); and 285,714) plants ha-1 interacted with two levels
of weeding (weeded and not weeded). The study investigated the intricate dynamics of weed
competition and plant density on soybean crops, with a specific focus on root length, root
biomass and nodulation (parameters). By examining the interplay between weed competition and
its impact on soybean root development and nodulation, the study aimed to provide insights into
optimizing soybean cultivation practices in the unique agricultural environment of Uganda.The
field results on different parameters were entered in an Excel spreadsheet and the data subjected
to analysis using the R programming language in RStudio to generate Means, Least Significant
Differences, and F-probability. Treatment Means were compared using Fisher‟s Least Significant
Differences (LSD test) at a significance level of p<0.05. The Means, LSDs and contrasts
generated were then extracted from RStudio console and tabulated as shown in the results
section. The results showed that soybean plants at low densities (i.e., below 500,000 plants ha-1)
accumulated high dry matter, had little nodule activity and had shorter root length than at high
densities (above 400,000 plants ha-1), Dry matter accumulation was generally higher in weeded
plots than in in the non-weeded plots across all densities. Also, higher root nodule activity and
longer root length were observed in the un-weeded plots than the weeded ones. This meant that
Maksoy 3N employed different adaptive mechanisms like nitrogen fixation and development of
extensive root system to counteract the effect of weeds and high planting density. Therefore,
Planting density of 400,000 plants ha-1 is the appropriate density because this configuration
provides each plant with an adequate amount of land area to extract the necessary growth
resources efficiently hence maximizing soybean production. | en_US |
