Keywords
Nodulation
Productivity
Economic profitability
Lufu-Toto
How to Cite
Abstract
This study was conducted in the Lufu Toto agglomeration, in the territory of Mbanza Ngungu, in the province of Kongo Central, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was conducted over two growing seasons: first during the short rainy season (3 April to 13 July 2018), then during the long rainy season (3 November 2018 to 9 February 2019). Its objective was to determine the effect of increasing doses of phosphorus on soybean seed yield and nodulation. Two early-maturing soybean varieties (TGX1830-7F and M351) were used, with three doses of phosphorus applied (0,70 and 140 kg P₂O₅ ha2(–1)). The experimental design used was split-plot, with three replicates. The variety was the main factor and phosphorus was the secondary factor. The results show that seed yield is influenced by phosphorus application. With regard to the phosphorus doses applied, the yield increased, but not proportionally to the fertiliser doses, as it decreased at the highest dose (140 kg P₂O₅) for both trials. The highest yield was observed in the second trial. With regard to nodulation, the results show that the number of nodules increased proportionally with the phosphorus doses applied. The highest number of nodules was obtained with the 140 kg/ha dose (43.7 nodules per plant for trial 1 and 58.8 nodules per plant for trial 2). The results show that a dose of 70 kg of phosphorus per hectare would improve soybean yields in the Lufu Toto agglomeration, which is encouraging in view of its profitability. The ratio between the value and cost of the different fertiliser doses shows that the dose of 70 kg of phosphorus per hectare is the most profitable, with values of USD 5.18 and USD 5.61 for the short and long rainy seasons, respectively.
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