Effect of Rhizobium inoculation, mulch and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on soya bean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill)

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Abstract
Summary: A field experiment was conducted for 3 years to study the effect of Rhizobium inoculation, mulch and N and P fertilizers on soya bean. The application of wheat straw mulch helped greatly in lowering the maximum soil temperature but failed to increase the yield, particularly on the fields where soya bean was raised for the first time. Seed inoculation gave significantly greater yield than control (no inoculation and no mulching). The combination of mulch and seed inoculation, on average, produced 0·76, 0·43 and 0·84 t/ha more grain than inoculation alone in 1976, 1977 and 1978 respectively. A basal dose of 15 kg N/ha increased the yield when seed was inoculated but no mulch applied whereas the dressing of N did not prove beneficial when mulching was combined with inoculation. The grain yield, however, increased up to 180 kg N/ha in the case of mulch alone and control treatments. The response of soya bean to phosphorus application was inconsistent.