EFFECT OF IRON, BORON AND ZINC APPLICATIONS ON YIELD AND QUALITY TRAITS OF SOME SOYBEAN CULTIVARS (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

This research was conducted in 2019 at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture, Field Crops Department, Research and Experimental area. It was aimed to determine of effect of iron, boron and zinc applications on yield and quality traits in some soybean cultivars. The experiment was carried out as a split plot design based on RCBD with three replications, in which cultivars constituted the main plot with three cultivars (Arısoy, Safir and Bravo), and micronutrients and their combinations constituted the sub-plot (control, Fe, B, Zn, Fe+B, Fe+Zn, B+Zn and Fe+B+Zn). The micronutrients were applied to the plant by foliar spraying in the V3-V5 period. In the study plant height, first pod height, pod number per plant, seed number per pod, 100 seed weight, seed yield, oil content and crude protein content were investigated. The results showed that foliar micronutrients significantly increased the values for all traits. According to research findings, seed yield values of cultivars changed between 304.93-382.62 kg da-1, oil content values 12.51-17.16% and crude protein content values 37.82-42.30% and showed a wide variation. In terms of cultivar x micronutrient interaction, the highest seed yield was obtained from the Fe+B, Fe+Zn and Fe+B+Zn applications in Safir variety (395.01, 393.55 and 396.42 kg da-1, respectively). The crude protein content, which is the most important character in soybean, varied between 36.79-43.14%, but this difference was not found to be statistically significant for interaction. It was concluded that micronutrients had significant and positive effects on yield and quality characteristics of soybean.