Influence of mycorrhiza-fortified quail manure on soybean (Glycine max) varieties grown in two agro-ecological zones of Nigeria

Abstract

Amongst the nitrogen fixing grain legumes, soybean (<i>Glycine max</i>) is ranked first and second in terms of protein and oil content  respectively. Meanwhile, despite the versatility and other great potentials (soil fertility improvement inclusive) of soybean, its production  suffers various limitations, particularly N and P deficiencies, which induced low yield per unit area. Therefore, researching into  exploitation of organic / biological means of improving soil nutrition is worthwhile, for improving the performance of versatile arable  crops like soybean. Two screen house experiments were concurrently conducted in the year 2018 cropping season, at the Teaching and  Research Farms, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (southern guinea savanna) and the Arable Research site of the  Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora (derived guinea savanna), to assess the response of indigenous and hybrid varieties of soybean to selected mycorrhizal inocula, while quail droppings were used as the organic basal manure. The experiments were  3 x 3 x 2 factorial comprising three levels of mycorrhiza inoculation (M0 = No inoculation with any mycorrhizal strain, M1 =  inoculation with Glomus clarum and M2 = inoculation with <i>Glomus mossaea</i>), three soybean varieties (V1= Ogbomoso Local or Igboora  Local, V2 = TGX2004-10F and V3 = TGX2010-15F) and two levels of soil sterilization (S- = unsterilized and S+ = Sterilized). The trials were  arranged in a Completely Randomized Design, replicated thrice. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters, and were subjected  to analysis of variance. Means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p≤0.05. Soil inoculation with any of the  arbuscular mycorrhizal strains significantly improved soybean growth and yield parameters, in the two locations, compared to the  control. As similarly observed in most of the growth and yield parameters measured, the highest seed yield of 5.1 tons/ha were observed  in the medium maturing soybean hybrid varietyTGX2004-10F (i.e. V2), which received G. clarum under unsterilized soil conditions, but the  value was not significantly from those obtained from the other hybrid variety investigated, but significantly higher than the local hybrids  in the two locations, while the control had the least values. Also, in the two ecoregions or locations, the local varieties inoculated with  Glomus clarum had significantly higher growth and yield, comparable to Glomus mossaea and the control, whereas, whereas the hybrids  were non-selective in being infected or inoculated by the two mycorrhizal inocula tested, as significant soybean performance was  observed in the two strains investigated, compared to the control. Thus, the performance of soybean in low fertile soil is more mycorrhizal strains dependent than the locations. Therefore, G. clarum and G. mossaea were recommended for the soybean hybrids  while Glomus clarum was specifically recommended for the local varieties in both of the agroecological zones.