Effect of liming and potassium on soybeans oil and protein concentration and yield

Abstract

A study was made on the effects of potassium and liming on soybean ('IAC-14') oil and protein. The experiment was carried out in a Dark-Red Latosol at Mococa, during three years, in which in the last two years the residual effect of fertilizers was studied. A split plot design was used where the main plots consisted of liming (0, 3.5 and 7.0 t/ha), and the sub-plots were of K₂O (0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 kg/ha). The results showed that the K fertilization increased the oil content by 2.2 percentage points in the grains and decreased the protein percentage in 4.2 to 6.6. Liming increased the protein content and decreased the oil content. At the 3.5 and 7.0 t/ha of liming rate, the maximum yield (MY) of oil was obtained with the K₂O application between 423 to 438 and 430 to 480 kg/ha, respectively. To obtain MY of protein at 3.5 and 7.0 t/ha of liming rate, these doses were associated with the application of 408 to 453 and 455 to 581 kg/ha of K₂O, respectively.