Effects of zeolite and cattle manure on growth, yield and yield components of
soybean grown under water deficit stress
REZA NOZARI, HAMID REZA TOHIDI-MOGHADAM *, MASOUD MASHHADI-AKBARBOOJAR1
Department of Agronomy
Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Varamin, Iran
*(e-mail : [email protected])
ABSTRACT
In order to study the effects of cattle manure and zeolite on growth, yield and
yield components of soybean grown under conditions of water deficit stress, an
experiment was conducted in research field of Islamic Azad University, Varamin
Branch during 2011 growing season. The experimental design was carried out in a
randomized complete block with a split factorial arrangement of treatments in three
replications. Main factor was water stress (normal irrigation and irrigation
withholding after 50% flowering) and sub factors were included cattle manure (0, 15
and 30 t/ha) and zeolite application (with and without). The results showed that water
stress significantly decreased plant growth and production. Conversely, cattle manure
and zeolite application led to increase in growth and improved yield and yield
components. Zeolite application dramatically increased pod number in main branches.
The highest pod number in sub-branches was obtained from those plots which were
treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure and zeolite grown under normal irrigation
conditions. These results indicated that zeolite and cattle manure application (30 t/ha)
increased seed yield when plants were irrigated completely. It is interesting to remark
that zeolite application was more effective under stress conditions than normal
irrigation condition. Biological yield increased on account of cattle manure and
zeolite application. In addition, the highest oil yield was achieved when soybean
plants were treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure and zeolite under normal irrigation
conditions. In sum cattle manure and zeolite application could improve soybean
growth and seed production even under drought stress conditions.
Key words : Cattle manure, water stress, yield and yield components, zeolite,
Soybean
1
Department of Biochemistry, Tarbiat Moallem, Tehran University, Tehran.
1
INTRODUCTION
Water stress is still a serious agronomic problem and one of the most
important factors contributing to crop yield loss. Plant morphological and biochemical
responses to drought stress vary with stress intensity. Drought stress significantly
limits plant growth and crop productivity. In Iran, water is a scarce resource, due to
the high rainfall variability. The water stress effects depend on deficit timing, duration
and magnitude (Pandey et al., 2001). The identification of the critical irrigation timing
and scheduling based on a timely and accurate basis to the crop is the key to
conserving water and improving the irrigation performance and sustainability of
irrigated agriculture (Ngouajio et al., 2007). Igbadun (2006) showed that the crop
yield response was very much dependent on the amount of water applied at different
crop development stages than the overall seasonal water applied. This approach may
save water with little or no negative impact on the final crop yield. In arid and semiarid environments, both efficient use of available water and a higher safflower yield
and quality are in demand (Lovelli et al., 2007; Dordas and Sioulas, 2008; Koutroubas
et al., 2008). A decrease in biological yield and pod dry matter have been observed in
two canola cultivars, under water deficit conditions (Thomas, 2004). Porous ceramics,
diatomaceous earth and zeolites are just a few of the more commonly used inorganic
soil amendments. Some characteristics of these products, that make them desirable for
improving soils’ properties, are a large internal porosity, which results in water
retention; a uniform particle size distribution, that allows them to be easily
incorporated; and a high cation exchange capacity, which retains nutrients (Ok et al.
2003). The unique physical and chemical properties of natural zeolites, in
combination with their abundance in sedimentary deposits and in rocks derived from
volcanic parent materials, have made them useful for many industrial applications.
These properties have spurred their use in agronomic and horticultural applications
(Dwairi1998). Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates, characterized by threedimensional networks of SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedral and linked by shared oxygen
atoms. Clinoptilolite is not the most well-known zeolite, but it is one of the most
useful. The chemical formula of clinoptilolite is (Na3K3) (Al6Si30O72).24H2O.
Extensive deposits of clinoptilolite are found in the Western United States, Bulgaria,
Hungary, Japan, Australia and Iran. Amendment of clinoptilolite zeolite to sandy soils
has been reported to lower nitrogen concentrations in leachate and to increase
moisture and nutrients in the soil, due to increased soil surface area and cation
2
exchange capacity (He, 2002). Agronomic operations, which involve heavy
application of chemical fertilizers, may cause reduction of nutrients in soil and certain
others would generally accumulate in excess resulting in nutrient imbalance which
affects the soil productivity. Among the means available to achieve sustainability in
agricultural production, organic manure like cattle manure plays an important and key
role because it possesses many desirable soil properties and exerts beneficial effect on
the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. Cattle manure is a
good source of nutrients for vegetation especially when supplemented with
commercial nitrogen fertilizer. Cattle manure application improves physical and
chemical properties of soil. In addition, it increases micro organism activity and water
retention capacity (Gupta et al., 2004). Crop yield is usually increased by manure
application because of the increased nutrient availability and the improved soil
structure (Matsi et al., 2003). Eghball and Power (1999) found that application of
cattle manure resulted in maize yield similar to that from commercial fertilizer
application. Water stress is still a serious agronomic problem and one of the most
important factors contributing to crop yield loss. Plant morphological and biochemical
responses to drought stress vary with stress intensity. In arid and semi-arid regions
like Iran, soils are generally characterized by poor soil structure, low water-holding
capacity, lack of organic matter and nutrient deficiency. Thus, the application of
zeolite substances and organic fertilizers may be effective on better establishment of
plant under water stress conditions. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate
the effects of both cattle manure and zeolite on soybean plant under water deficit
stress.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In order to study the effects of different amount of organic fertilizer (cattle
manure) and zeolite (with and without zeolite) on growth, yield and yield components
of soybean grown under normal and limited irrigation, an experiment was conducted
in research field of Islamic Azad University, Varamin Branch during 2011 growing
season. Site of study was situated at 31°51 E and 20°35 N and 1050 m above sea
level. Before beginning of experiment, soil samples were taken in order to determine
the physical and chemical properties. A composite soil sample was collected at a
depth of 0-30 cm. It was air-dried, crushed and tested for physical and chemical
properties. The research field had a clay loam soil. Details of soil properties are
3
shown in Table 1. After plow and disk, plots were prepared. The experimental design
was laid out in a randomized complete block with a split factorial arrangement of
treatments in three replications. Main factor was water stress (normal irrigation and
irrigation withholding after 50% flowering) and sub-factors included cattle manure (0,
15 and 30 t/ha) and zeolite application (with and without). The 16 m2 plots were
prepared with 4 m length and consisted of five rows, 0.65 m apart. Among all main
plots, 2 m alley was kept to eliminate all influence of lateral water movement.
Polyethylene pipeline was performed for control of irrigation as dropping irrigation.
Cattle manure was applied before seed sowing so that manure was spread on the soil
surface and then was mixed into the soil manually. Soybean seeds [Glycine max (L.)
Merr. cv. Williams] were purchased from Pars Abad Oil Seed Company and
inoculated with Rhizobium japonicum and sown in certain experimental plots with 10
cm apart each other. Irrigation was performed immediately after seed sowing and after
seedling establishment irrigation was done every week. At 5-leaf stage plants were
thinned to appropriate density. Weeds were controlled manually at 5-leaf stage, stem
elongation and flowering stage. In order to stress induction, irrigation was stopped at
50% flowering stage in stressed plots till end of growing stage. At physiological
maturity stage, crop was completely harvested and plant height, branch number, pod
number in main branches, pod number in sub-branches, total pod number, 1000-seed
weight, seed yield, biological yield, harvest index, oil and protein yield were
measured. Oil and protein percentage were calculated using Soxhlet and Kjeldahl
methods, respectively. Oil and protein yield and also harvest index were obtained by
following formulae, respectively :
Oil yield = Oil percentage × Seed yield /100
Protein yield = protein percentage × Protein yield /100
HI = Economic yield (seed yield)/ biological yield × 100
All data were analyzed from analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the GLM
procedure in SAS (SAS Instituteinc., 2002). The assumptions of variance analysis
were tested by ensuring that the residuals were random, homogenous, with a normal
distribution about a mean of zero. Duncan's multiple range test was used to measure
statistical differences between treatment methods and controls.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Analysis of variance showed that water stress had significant effect on all
agronomic traits (Table 2). In addition, effect of cattle manure was significant on all
4
traits except for harvest index (Table 2). Among all agronomic traits, plant height and
harvest index were not affected by zeolite application (Table 2). Interaction of
experimental factors (water stress × cattle manure × zeolite) was significant except for
biological yield and harvest index (Table 2). As can be seen from Table 3, water stress
significantly decreased plant height. Although, cattle manure had not any effect on
plant height, zeolite increased plant height under water stress conditions. The most
branch number was observed from those plants which were treated with 30 t/ha cattle
manure and zeolite application given under normal irrigation conditions (Table 3). By
contrast, the lowest branch number was related to stress plants treated with 0 or 15
t/ha cattle manure without zeolite application (Table 3).
The results showed that zeolite application dramatically increased pod number
in main branches (Table 3). The lowest pod number in main branch was observed
when soybean plants were just stressed treated neither by cattle manure nor by zeolite
application (Table 3). Similarly, the highest pod number in sub-branches was obtained
from those plots which were treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure and zeolite application
given under normal irrigation conditions. Conversely, the lowest pod number in subbranches was achieved in stressed plants without any further treatment (Table 3). In
general, the highest and lowest pod number in plant was obtained when plants were
treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure alongwith zeolite application given under normal
irrigation and stressed plants treated without cattle manure application, respectively
(Table 3). Our results indicated that zeolite application and cattle manure application
(30 t/ha) significantly increased seed yield when plants were irrigated completely
(Table 3). Zeolite application was more effective under stress conditions than normal
irrigation conditions (Table 3). According to obtained results the highest oil yield was
achieved when soybean plants were treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure and zeolite
application both under normal irrigation conditions and drought stress conditions
(Table 3).
Protein yield significantly decreased due to water stress. Cattle manure had
significant effect on protein yield especially under normal irrigation conditions. So,
the highest protein yield belonged to treatments treated with 30 t/ha cattle manure and
zeolite application both under normal irrigation conditions and drought stress
conditions (Table 3). Interaction between water stress and cattle manure application
was significant on biological yield (Fig. 1). Biological yield increased on account of
cattle manure in drought stress condition (Fig. 1). The heaviest biological yield was
5
obtained when 30 t/ha cattle manure was applied under normal irrigation conditions,
while the lightest biological yield was related to no cattle manure application
treatment alongwith irrigation withholding at the end of growing season. In addition,
biological yield was affected by water stress and zeolite application (Fig. 2). Zeolite
application increased biological yield both under normal irrigation conditions and
soybean plants were under stressed conditions. Also the highest biological yield was
obtained when 30 t/ha cattle manure was applied in both zeolite application and
without zeolite application (Fig. 3). Also the results showed that the harvest index
decreased due to water stress, however, it was not affected by cattle manure or zeolite
(Fig. 4).
The results of this research showed that the water stress decreased growth,
yield and yield components of soybean. The decrease in yield and yield components
in different safflower genotypes due to water deficiency was also reported by other
researchers (Zaman and Das, 1991; Kar et al., 2007; Lovelli et al., 2007). Anyia and
Herzog (2004) indicated that water deficit caused between 11 and more than 40%
reduction of biomass across the genotypes of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) due to
decline in leaf gas exchange and leaf area. Obtained result indicated that the seed
filling stage was more sensitive in soybean growth stages. Nielsen and Nelson (1998)
and Nuez et al. (2005) also identified the number of pods per plant as the principal
cause of yield losses of bean subjected to drought stress, followed by the number of
seeds per pod and seed weight. This result corroborated the earlier findings of
Castaeda et al. (2006).
The diverse effects of water stress on physiological and metabolic responses in
plant growth were well documented (Kramer and Boyer, 1995). Application of
integrated chemical fertilizer with biological fertilizer caused to produce highest yield
compared with application of chemical and biological treatment alone (Rizwan et al.,
2008). Aowad and Mohamed (2009) evaluated the effects of manure and mineral
fertilizer on sunflower characteristics and found that the highest values of stem
diameter and plant height were produced due to combination of nitrogen fertilizer
with farm yard manure. Ibeawuchi and Onweremalu (2007), in an experiment,
showed that at first of all the highest 1000-kernel weight was in integrated fertilizer
treatments and the following was in chemical fertilizer. Majidian and Ghalavand
(2006) showed that integrated chemical and biological fertilizer obtained highest
kernel number per ear compared with sole application of them. It seems that zeolite
6
increases water retention capacity and thus water stress intensity will be decreased.
Xiubin and Zhanbin (2001) showed that zeolite improved water retention capacity and
cation exchange capacity in arable soils. Leggo (2000) studied the response of wheat
to poultry manure amended by zeolite and found out that crop faced a better growth
rate when zeolite was applied in poultry manure, and reported that the increase of
growth and yield was due to nitrogen availability by zeolite.
CONCLUSION
Irrigation deficit reduced growth, biomass and yield in soybean. The flowering
stage was the most sensitive to water deficit. Drought stress, during this period,
caused a reduction in the number of grains per plant and in time to maturity.
Consequently, reduced sink capacity and shorter growing period led to lower seed
yield. Under water limited conditions, soil water extraction was a more important
component in soybean yield. Efficient management of soil moisture was important for
agricultural production in the light of scarce water resources. Soil conditioners
contributed significantly to provide a reservoir of soil water to plants on demand in
the upper layers of the soil where the root systems normally develop. Zeolite apart
from improving the soil physical properties, also served as buffers against temporary
drought stress and reduced the risk of plant failure during establishment. This was
achieved by means of reduction of evaporation through restricted movement of water
from the sub-surface to the surface layer. At the same time, cattle manure application
improved physical and chemical properties of soil. In addition, it increased microorganism activity and water retention capacity. Also cattle manure could be
substituted
with
inorganic
fertilizer
for
the
nitrogen
and
micronutrients
supplementation and better growth of soybean. In conclusion, this study showed that
application of zeolite and cattle manure, in soils exposed to drought stress, could
maintain soil water content and improve plant growth and yield.
REFERENCES
Anyia, A. O. and Herzog, H. (2004). Water use efficiency, leaf area and leaf gas
exchange of cowpeas under mid-season drought. Eur. J. Agron. 20 :
327-39.
Aowad, M. M. and Mohamed, A. A. A. (2009). The effect of bio, organic and mineral
fertilization on productivity of sunflower seed and oil yields. J. Agric.
Res. Kafr El Sheikh Univ. 35 : 1013-27.
7
Castaeda, S. M. C, Cordova, T. L, Gonzalez, H. V. A, Delgado, A. A., Santacruz, V.
A. and Garca de los, S. G. (2006). Espuestas fisiol gicas, rendimientoy
calidad de semilla en frijol sometido a estrés hdrico. Interciencia. 31 :
461-66.
Dordas, C. A. and Sioulas, C. (2008). Safflower yield, chlorophyll content,
photosynthesis, and water use efficiency response to nitrogen
fertilization under rainfed conditions. Indust. Crops Products.,
Amsterdam 27 : 75-85.
Dwairi, I. M. (1998). Evaluation of Jordanian zeolite tuff as a controlled slow-release
fertilizer for NH4. Environ. Geology, London 34 : 1-3.
Eghball, B. and Power, J. F. (1999). Composted and non-composted manure
application to conventional and no-tillage systems : corn yield and
nitrogen uptake. Agron. J. 91 : 819-25.
Gupta, S., Munyankusi, E., Monerief, J., Zvomuya, F. and Hanewall, M. (2004).
Tillage and manure application effects on mineral nitrogen leaching
from seasonally frozen soils. J. Environ. Qual. 33 : 1239-46.
He, Z. L. (2002). Clinoptilolite zeolite and cellulose amendments to reduce ammonia
volatilization in a calcareous sandy soil. Plant and Soil, Amsterdam
247 : 253-60.
Ibeawuchi, I. and Onweremalu, E. (2007). Effects of poultry manure on green and
waterleaf on degraded ultisol of owerri South Eastern Nigeria. JAVA 1
: 6-53.
Igbadun, , H. E. (2006). Crop water productivity of an irrigated maize crop in subcatchment of the Great Ruaha River Basin, Tanzania. Agric. Water
Manage. Amsterdam 85 : 141-50.
Kar, G., Kumar, A. and Martha, M. (2007). Water use efficiency and crop coefficients
of dry season oilseed crops. Agric.Water Manage. 87 : 73-82.
Koutroubas, S. D., Papakosta, D. K. and Doitsinis, A. (2008). Nitrogen utilization
efficiency of safflower hybrids and open-pollinated varieties under
Mediterranean conditions. Field Crops Res. Amsterdam 107 : 56-61.
Kramer, P. J. and Boyer, J. S. (1995). Water Relations of Plants and Soils. Academic
Press, San Diego, U. S. A.
8
Leggo, P. J. (2000). An investigation of plant growth in an organo-zeolite substrate
and its ecological significance. J. Plant and Soil, Amsterdam 219 :
135-46.
Lovelli, S., Perniola, M., Ferrara, A. and Di Tommaso, T. (2007). Yield response
factor to water (Ky) and water use efficiency of Carthamus
tinctorius L. and Solanum melongena L. Agric. Water Manage. 92 :
73-80.
Majidian, M. and Ghalavand, A. (2006). The effect of drought stress, chemical
fertilizer and biological fertilizer on different growth stages. 2nd
Agroecosystem Congerece of Iran.
Matsi, T., Lithourgidis, A. S. and Gagianas, A. A. (2003). Effects of injected liquid
cattle manure on growth and yield of winter wheat and soil
characteristics. Agron J. 95 : 592-96.
Ngouajio, M., Wang, G. and Goldy, R. (2007). Withholding of drip irrigation between
transplanting and flowering increases the yield of field-grown tomato
under plastic mulch. Agric. Water Manage. Amsterdam 87 : 285-91.
Nielsen, D. C. and Nelson, N. O. (1998). Black bean sensitivity to water stress at
various growth stages. 38 : 422-27.
Nuez, B. A., Hoogenboom, G. and Nesmith, D. S. (2005). Drought stress and
distribution of vegetative and reproductive traits of a bean cultivar. Sci.
Agric. 62 : 18-22.
Ok, C. H., Anderson, S. H. and Ervin, E. H. (2003). Amendments and construction
systems for improving the performance of sand-based putting greens.
Agron. J., New York 95 : 1583-90.
Pandey, R. K., Maranville, J. W. and Admou, A. (2001). Tropical wheat response to
irrigation and nitrogen in a Sahelian environment. I. Grain yield, yield
components and water use efficiency. Eur. J. Agron., Amsterdam, 15 :
93-105.
Rizwan, A., Arshad, M., Khalid, A. and Zahir, A. (2008). Effectiveness of organic
bio-fertilizer supplemented with chemical fertilizer for improving soil
water retention, aggregate stability, growth and nutrient uptake of
maize. J. Sustainable Agric. 34 : 57-77.
SAS Institute Inc. (2002). The SAS System for Windows, Release 9.0. Statistical
Analysis Systems Institute, Cary, NC, USA.
9
Thomas, M. (2004). The effect of timing and severity of water deficit on growth,
development, yield accumulation and nitrogen fixation of mungbean.
Field Crops Res., Amsterdam 86 : 67-80.
Xiubin, H. and Zhanbin, H. (2001). Zeolite application for enhancing infiltration and
retention in loess soil. Resource, Conservation and Recycling,
Amsterdam 34 : 45-52.
Zaman, A. and Das, P. K. (1991). Effect of irrigation and nitrogen on yield and
quality of safflower. Indian J. Agron. 36 : 177-79.
10
11
Table 1. Soil properties of the experimental site
EC (ds m-1)
pH
O.C (%)
Depth
0-30 cm
4.1
7.4
0.71
T.N.V (%)
K (ppm)
P(ppm)
Total N (%)
Texture
<10
368
25.9
0/079
Clay
loam
Table 2. Analysis of variance growth parameters, yield and yield components, harvest index, oil and protein yield affected by water stress, cattle manure and zeolite
Plant
Branch
Pod number
Pod number in Total pod 1000 seed
Seed
Biological Harvest
Oil
Sources of variation
df
height
number
in main branch
sub branch
number
weight
yield
yield
index
yield
2
ns
ns
ns
Replication
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
1
*
**
**
Water stress
**
**
**
**
**
*
**
Protein
yield
ns
**
Error (a)
2
Cattle manure
2
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
ns
**
**
Zeolite
1
ns
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
ns
**
**
Water stress × cattle manure
2
ns
**
**
**
**
**
**
*
ns
**
**
Water stress × Zeolite
1
ns
ns
**
**
**
**
**
*
ns
**
*
Cattle manure × Zeolite
Water stress × cattle manure
× Zeolite
Error (b)
C.V (%)
2
ns
**
**
**
**
ns
**
*
ns
**
**
2
*
**
**
**
**
*
*
ns
ns
**
**
4.33
16.85
4.02
6.33
3.89
6.11
9.16
11.90
7.33
8.39
8.90
20
*,** and ns significant at 0.05, 0.01 and no significant
12
Table 3. Interaction between water stress, cattle manure and Zeolite on growth parameters, yield and yield components, oil yield, Protein yield
Plant height
Branch
Pod number in Pod number in
Total pod
Water stress
Cattle manure
Zeolite
Seed yield
Oil yield
(cm)
number
main branch
sub branch
number
142.000bcd
3.500de
30.667gh
26.000e
56.667g
6870.0d
1266.7d
0 ton ha-1
+
141.667bcd
4.000de
44.000c
27.333de
71.333d
8296.7c
1612.0c
146.000bc
4.000de
40.667d
27.667de
68.000de
7953.3c
1624.3c
-1
No stress
15 ton ha
+
144.667bc
4.000de
63.333a
48.667b
112.000b
9506.7b
1865.7b
148.667b
9.000b
49.000b
38.667c
87.667c
8750.0bc
1840.3b
30 ton ha-1
+
167.000a
13.000a
65.667a
68.667a
134.333a
13533.3a
3024.0a
131.333d
3.000e
29.333h
15.000f
44.333h
2770.0f
483.3f
-1
0 ton ha
+
135.000cd
3.333de
34.667fg
27.667de
60.333fg
3830.0ef
707.7e
135.667cd
3.333de
34.667fg
25.667e
60.333ef
3756.7ef
694.0e
Water stress
15 ton ha-1
+
141.000bcd
5.000cd
38.000de
31.000d
69.000de
4496.7e
881.7e
145.333bc
4.333de
35.667ef
29.667de
65.333fg
4153.3e
814.3e
-1
30 ton ha
+
142.333bcd
6.000c
50.667b
42.000c
92.667c
5890.0d
1206.3d
Treatment means followed by the same letter within each common are not significantly different (P < 0.05) according to Duncan’s Multiple Range test
13
Protein
yield
1988.7e
2423.0d
2910.0c
3159.3bc
3528.0b
5528.3a
723.0h
1037.0gh
1091.7gh
1492.3f
1382.7fg
2154.0de
a
Biological yield (kg ha-1)
25000
b
20000
b
15000
c
d
10000
d
5000
0
0 ton ha-1
15 ton ha-1
30 ton ha-1
No stress
0 ton ha-1
15 ton ha-1
30 ton ha-1
Water stress
Fig. 1.Interaction between water stress and cattle manure application on biological yield. Treatment means followed by the same
letter within each common are not significantly different (P < 0.05) according to Duncan’s Multiple Range test
14
Biological yield (kg ha-1)
25000
20000
a
b
15000
c
d
10000
5000
0
No zeolite
Zeolite
No zeolite
No stress
Zeolite
Water stress
Fig. 2. Interaction between water stress and zeolite application on biological yield. Treatment means followed by the same
letter within each common are not significantly different (P < 0.05) according to Duncan’s Multiple Range test
15
25000
Biological yield (kg ha-1)
a
20000
15000
d
b
bc
30 ton ha-1
0 ton ha-1
b
cd
10000
5000
0
0 ton ha-1
15 ton ha-1
No zeolite
15 ton ha-1
30 ton ha-1
Zeolite
Fig. 3. Interaction cattle manure and zeolite application on biological yield. Treatment means followed by the same letter within
each common are not significantly different (P < 0.05) according to Duncan’s Multiple Range test
16
Biological yield ( kg ha-1 )
50
a
45
b
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
No stress
water stress
Fig. 4. Main effect of irrigation on harvest index. Treatment means followed by the same letter within
each common are not significantly different (P < 0.05) according to Duncan’s Multiple Range test
17