Objective
This field trial assessed the effects of 2 foliar applications of 2 combinations of Huma® products versus a control during the growing season on the yield of soybeans (Glycine max, variety AG48X7) when compared with the grower’s standard crop nutrition program.
Materials & Methods
This trial was set up in a complete randomized-block design of 10’ x 30’ plots replicated 4 times, conducted during the growing season of June through November in an area near Memphis, Tenn. Two treatment programs and a control were compared; all three groups received a treatment of grower’s standard fertilizer, plus 22 oz/ac of Roundup (herbicide) at growth stage VC and 7 oz/ac of Quadris (fungicide) at growth stage R1. In addition, the 2 treatment groups also received one of the foliar-applied treatment combinations of Huma® products listed in Table 1 at growth stages VC and R1: Lucky 7® is a 7-7-7+micros nutrient, Vitol® and Breakout® are natural plant growth manager products (Vitol® for vigorous growth, Breakout® for improved flowering and fruiting). Data were analyzed using ARM (Agricultural Resource Management) software.
Table 1. Treatments, Products, and Average Yields
Table 2. Treatments, Total Cost, Total Gain, and Net Return
Results
Treatment costs, gains, and net return are detailed in Table 2.
Fig. 1 shows that the yield for Huma® Treatment 2 was statistically determined to be significantly greater (a) than for Huma® Treatment 1 (b), which was in turn statistically significantly greater than the yield for the control (c).
Figure 1. Total Soybean Yield per Acre (bushels), Control vs.
2 Huma® Treatment Combinations. Treatments with different letters at the
tops of their bar graphs were significantly different (P = 0.05).
Conclusions
Based on the data collected in this trial, the Huma® Treatment Program 2 (1 qt/acre of both Lucky 7® and Breakout® at growth stages VC and R1) resulted in the highest yield at 69.25 bushels per acre, a yield increase of 21% over the control. At an application cost of $25.00/acre and an increase of 12.23 bu/ac over the control, with a market price of $10.00/bushel this results in a net return-to-the-farm increase of $97.30 per acre—a return on investment (ROI) of 389%.
Of the Huma® products and product combinations applied in this trial, the combination of Lucky 7® and Breakout®, applied at 1 qt/ac at growth stage VC and again at growth stage R1, was a cost-effective treatment for increasing soybean yields. It is recommended for future soybean field trials that tissue/ leaf analysis be conducted at significant growth stages to more precisely determine the type and amounts of Huma® soil and plant nutrient products that are needed to achieve the best soybean yields.
