Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) Yield Gap Analysis using Boundary Line Method in Gorgan and Aliabad Katul

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

• Alireza Nehbandani ¹
• Afshin Soltani ¹
• Ebrahim Zeinali ¹
• Farima Hoseini ²
• Ali Shahoseini ²
• Meysam Mehmandoy ²

¹ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran

² Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran

10.22067/jag.v9i3.51086

Abstract

Introduction
Increasing the production of crops has been a necessity to reach food security for growing population. Since "expanding acreage" is almost impossible, "increasing the yield per unit of area", is the only possible option. Closing the gap between actual yield and potential yield (yield gap) is one of the important methods to increase yield per unit of area. It is necessary to increase yield to primarily identify the factors that contributing in the yield gap in each area. Recognizing potentials as well as the impact of each limiting factor on yield individually, plays an important role in determining the alternative management strategies to achieve maximum performance. Therefore, the present study was conducted in Gorgan and Aliabad Katul county for simultaneous recognition of best management practices, percentage of the affected fields, estimation of soybean yield potential and gaps using boundary line analysis.
Material and Methods
To quantify the production and estimation of soybean yield gap in Gorgan and Aliabad Katul, Farm management information of 224 soybean farms in the years 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 were collected. This information was collected through continuous farm monitoring during the growing season as along with face to face interviews with the farmers. Farms were selected by consulting with agricultural service centers expert in Gorgan and Aliabad districts. Based on the available information at the service centers, only farms , which is different in terms of acreage, cultural practices and harvesting operations were selected. In this study, by plotting the distribution of the yield obtained in each field as the dependent variable against the independent variables (crop management activities), using SAS software and an appropriate function was fitted on the upper edge of the data distribution.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the average yield on the farms surveyed was 3507 Kg.ha-1 and by improving crop management, this productivity can increase to as high as 5355 Kg.ha-1. Most evaluated soybean yield responses in terms of the value of the nitrogen fertilizer showed that the data points follow a two-segmented function in a way that by increasing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer to 48 Kg.ha-1, the yield increased and then, the addition of the amount of nitrogen fertilizer had no effect on grain yield. Most evaluated soybean yield responses in terms of the amount of phosphorous fertilizer showed that the data points follow a two-segmented function in a way that by increasing the amount of phosphorous fertilizer to 43 kg per hectare, the yield increased and then, the addition of the amount of fertilizer had no effect on grain yield. Most evaluated soybean yield responses in terms of the irrigation frequency showed that the data points follow a two-segmented function in a way that by increasing irrigation frequencies up to four times, the yield increased and then, by increasing the number of irrigations no effect on grain yield has been observed. Data distribution of grain yield against the amount of seed used showed that the boundary line follows dent-like function. Accordingly, to reach a yield potential of 5780 Kg.ha-1, 53 to 67 kg of seeds per hectare is needed. The distribution of yield data against the distance between the rows showed that the boundary line follows a quadratic function. Hence, to reach a yield potential of 4048 Kg.ha-1, a 40 cm rows distance must be considered . Data distribution of grain yield against the inter-crop distance showed that the boundary line follows a dent-like function and inter-crop distance must be kept at a range of 5-7cm to reach a 5102 Kg.ha-1 grain yield.
Conclusion
In this study by examining several important management factors in growing soybean, optimal requirements of each factor to achieve the highest yield was determined by boundary analysis. In addition, the percentage of farms that had poor management as well as soybean yield potential and gaps in Gorgan and Aliabad. Yield responses to management practices were evaluated and studied by means of borderline analysis. Best management practices could be devised using study findings to realize the highest yield potential.

Keywords

• Irrigated
• Nitrogen fertilizer
• Phosphorous fertilizer
• Seeding rate
• Sowing date

---

References

Aghayari, F., Faraji, A., and Kordkatooli, A. 2016. Determination of yield and yield components response of soybean (Glycine max L.) to sowing date, temperature and sunshine hours. Journal of Agroecology 7(4): 547-562.

Beddow, J.M., Hurley, T.M., Pardey, P.G., and Alston, J.M. 2015. Rethinking yield gaps. University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics. Minneapolis, USA.

Bhatia, V., Singh, P., Wani, S., Chauhan, G., Rao, A.K., Mishra, A., and Srinivas, K. 2008. Analysis of potential yields and yield gaps of rainfed soybean in India using CROPGRO-Soybean model. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148(8): 1252-1265.

Bowers, G.R., Rabb, J.L., Ashlock, L.O., and Santini, J.B. 2000. Row spacing in the early soybean production system. Agronomy Journal 92: 524-531.

Boyer, C.N., Stefanini, M., Larson, J.A., Smith, S.A., Mengistu, A., and Bellaloui, N. 2015. Profitability and risk analysis of soybean planting date by maturity group. Agronomy Journal 107: 2253-2262.

Brady, N.C., and Weil, R.R. 1996. The Nature and Properties of Soils, Prentice-Hall Inc. New Jersey, USA p. 1–960.

Carsky, R., Singh, B., and Oyewole, B. 2001. Contribution of early season cowpea to late season maize in the savanna zone of west Africa. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture 18(4): 303-315.

Datta, A., Shrestha, S., Ferdous, Z., and Win, C.C. 2015. Nutrient Use Efficiency: from Basics to Advances, Springer Publications, India. p. 1–253.

de Ávila Rodrigues, R., Juliatti, F.C., Pedrini, J.E., Fernandes, J.M.C., Justino, F.B., Heinemann, A.B., Fraisse, C.W., Farias, J.R.B., Pavan, W., and Costa, L.C. 2013. Asian soybean rust: modeling the impact on soybean grain yield in the Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaiba region, Minas Gerais, Brazil= Ferrugem asiatica da soja: modelagem do impacto na produtividade da soja na região. Bioscience Journal 29(2): 264-279.

Egli, D. 1993. Cultivar maturity and potential yield of soybean. Field Crops Research 32(1): 147-158.

Egli, D., and Cornelius, P. 2009. A regional analysis of the response of soybean yield to planting date. Agronomy Journal 101(2): 330-335. (In Persian with English Summary)

Egli, D., and Hatfield, J. 2014. Yield gaps and yield relationships in central US soybean production systems. Agronomy Journal 106(2): 560-566.

Fageria, N., and Baligar, V. 2005. Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants. Advances in Agronomy 88: 97-185.

Gan, Y., Stulen, I., Van Keulen, H., and Kuiper, P.J. 2003. Effect of N fertilizer top-dressing at various reproductive stages on growth, N2 fixation and yield of three soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) genotypes. Field Crops Research 80(2): 147-155.

Hajarpour, A., Soltani, A., and Zeinali, E. 2015. Using of boundary line analysis in studies yield gap: A case study of wheat in Gorgan. Electronic Journal of Crop Production. In press. (In Persian with English Summary)

Heatherly, L.G., and Elmore, R.W. 2004. Managing inputs for peak production. In H.R. Boerma, and J.E., Specht (Eds.). Soybeans: Improvement, production, and uses. Agronomy Monograph. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Publications, Madison p 451–536.

Heatherly, L.G., Spurlock, S.R., and Elmore, C.D. 2002. Row width and weed management systems for early soybean production system plantings in the midsouthern USA. Agronomy Journal 94(5): 1172-1180.

Kamkar, B., Safahani Langroudi, A., and Mohammadi, R. 2011. The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants. Mashhad University of Jihad Publications, Mashhad, Iran. (In Persian)

Makowski, D., Dore, T., and Monod, H. 2007. A new method to analyse relationships between yield components with boundary lines. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 27: 119-128.

Melgar, R., and Lupi, A. 2002. Soybean with nitrogen. Fertilizar 28: 14–17.

Mengel, K., Kosegarten, H., Kirkby, E.A., and Appel, T. 2001. Principles of plant nutrition. Springer Science and Business Media p. 1–849.

Moreira, A., Moraes, L.A., Schroth, G., and Mandarino, J.M. 2015. Effect of nitrogen, row spacing, and plant density on yield, yield components, and plant physiology in soybean–wheat intercropping. Agronomy Journal 107: 2162-2170.

Osborne, S.L., and Riedell, W.E. 2006. Starter nitrogen fertilizer impact on soybean yield and quality in the northern great plains. Agronomy Journal 98: 1569–1574.

Patrignani, A., Lollato, R.P., Ochsner, T.E., Godsey, C.B., and Edwards, J.T. 2014. Yield gap and production gap of rainfed winter wheat in the southern great plains. Agronomy Journal 106(4): 1329-1339.

Power, J. 1990. Fertility management and nutrient cycling. Springer Publications, New York p. 131-149.

Purcell, L.C., Serraj, R., Sinclair, T.R., and De, A. 2004. Soybean N fixation estimates, ureide concentration and yield responses to drought. Crop Science 44(2): 484-492.

Ray, J.D., Heatherly, L.G., and Fritschi, F.B. 2006. Influence of large amounts of nitrogen on nonirrigated and irrigated soybean. Crop Science 46(1): 52-60.

Robinson, A.P., Conley, S.P., Volenec, J.J., and Santini, J.B. 2009. Analysis of high yielding, early-planted soybean in indiana. Agronomy Journal 101(1): 131-139.

Ruı́z-Nogueira, B., Boote, K., and Sau, F. 2001. Calibration and use of CROPGRO-soybean model for improving soybean management under rainfed conditions. Agricultural Systems 68(2): 151-173.

Sadegi, N., and Rahimi, H. 2009. Agricultural Water capabilities. National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. Tehran, Iran. (In Persian)

Salmeron, M., Gbur, E.E., Bourland, F.M., Buehring, N.W., Earnest, L., Fritschi, F.B., Golden, B.R., Hathcoat, D., Lofton, J., and Miller, T.D. 2014. Soybean maturity group choices for early and late plantings in the midsouth. Agronomy Journal 106(5): 1893-1901.

Sentelhas, P., Battisti, R., Camara, G., Farias, J., Hampf, A., and Nedel, C. 2015 The soybean yield gap in Brazil–magnitude, causes and possible solutions for sustainable production. The Journal of Agricultural Science 1-18.

Serraj, R., and Sinclair, T.R. 1996. Processes contributing to N2-fixation insensitivity to drought in the soybean cultivar Jackson. Crop Science 36(4): 961-968.

Shatar, T.M., and Mcbratney, A.B. 2004. Boundary-line analysis of field-scale yield response to soil properties. The Journal of Agricultural Science 142: 553-560.

Sinclair, T.R., and Rufty, T.W. 2012. Nitrogen and water resources commonly limit crop yield increases, not necessarily plant genetics. Global Food Security 1: 94-98.

Soltani, A. 2007. Use of the SAS Statistical Analysis Software. Mashhad University of Jihad Publications, Mashhad, Iran. (In Persian)

Soltani, A. 2009. Mathematical Modeling in Filed Crops. Mashhad University of Jihad Publications, Mashhad, Iran. (In Persian)

Torrion, J., Setiyono, T.D., Cassman, K., and Specht, J. 2011. Soybean phenology simulation in the north-central united States. Agronomy Journal 103(6): 1661-1667.

Van Ittersum, M.K., Cassman, K.G., Grassini, P., Wolf, J., Tittonell, P., and Hochman, Z. 2012. Yield gap analysis with local to global relevance-A review. Field Crops Research 143: 4-17.

Varco, J.J. 1999. Nutrition and Fertility Requirements. In: L.G. Heatherly, and H.F. Hodges (Eds.). Soybean Production in the Mid-South. CRC publications, Boca Raton p. 53-70.

Wesley, T., Lamond, R., Martin, V., and Duncan, S. 1998. Effects of late-season nitrogen fertilizer on irrigated soybean yield and composition. Journal of Production Agriculture 11(3): 331-336.

Wingeyer, A.B., Echeverria, H., and Rozas, H.S. 2014. Growth and yield of irrigated and rainfed soybean with late nitrogen fertilization. Agronomy Journal 106(2): 567-576.

Worku, M., and Astatkie, T. 2015. Effects of row spacing on productivity and nodulation of two soybean varieties under hot sub-moist tropical conditions in south-western Ethiopia. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics 116(2): 99-106.

Zeinali, E., Akramghaderi, F., Soltani, A., and Kashiri, H. 2003. Effect of planting date on yield and yield components of three soybean cultivars in Gorgan. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Science 1: 81-92. (In Persian with English Summary)

Zhou, X., Chen, Y., and Ouyang, Z. 2015. Spacing between rows: effects on water-use efficiency of double-cropped wheat and soybean. The Journal of Agricultural Science 153(1): 90-101.