Dry matter and nitrogen accumulations in determinate soybean grown on low‐nitrogen soils of the southeastern United States

Abstract

Reliable assessments of erosion potential, N fertilization need, and nitrogen (N) non‐point pollution potential for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cropping systems require accurate estimates of soybean dry matter and N accumulations. The objective of this field study was to determine dry matter and N accumulation in soybean during the growing season and at harvest in samples large enough to reduce sample variation and increase the confidence in measured values. A split‐plot design was used with cultivar (Braxton, Coker 338, and Davis) as the main plot treatment and sampling date as the split‐plot treatment. Each split‐plot contained eight rows 4.6 m in length on 0.75 m spacing. The seed were sown in a Norfolk loamy sand (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic, Typic Paleudult) on May 18 at the rate of 33 seeds/m. Water was applied by use of an overhead irrigation gun. Plant samples were collected from 20 m² of the six center rows on 89, 115, and 138 days after planting as well as at seed harvest. Fallen plant material (crop litter) was collected from each plot at each sampling date. Itact plant samples, crop litter, and soil samples were analyzed for total Kjeldahl N. The mean seed yield was 2.01 Mg/ha; the mean maximum dry matter accumulation for intact shoots plus crop litter was 10.2 Mg/ha, and the coefficients of variation were <10%. The actual harvest index (seed yield/total dry matter accumulation) ranged from 0.19 to 0.28, and the mean maximum N accumulation was 293 kg/ha. These accumulations are greater than those reported for indeterminate soybean grown on high‐N soils in the midwestern United States, and they clearly show that determinate soybean grown in the southeastern United States accumulate substantial amounts of dry matter and N.