ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Symbiotic Interactions
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1581961
Calcined low-grade phosphate rock fertilization enhances nitrogen fixation, yield, and grain quality in soybeans
Provisionally accepted
- Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
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The limited use of chemical fertilizers in developing countries has posed a significant challenge to sustainable crop production. Beyond increasing yields, improving seed nutritional quality is also crucial. This study evaluated the impact of phosphorus (P) fertilization, using calcined low-grade phosphate rock, on soybean growth, yield, and seed quality. Soybean cultivars, Fukuyutaka and Jenguma were grown under three treatments: no P application (-P), triple superphosphate [+P(TSP)], and calcined phosphate rock [+P(PR)]. Both P treatments significantly increased pod number (e.g., 12 pods plant⁻¹ in (-P) vs. 25 pods plant⁻¹ in +P(TSP) for Fukuyutaka), seeds number (23 vs. 48 seeds plant⁻¹), and seed yield (5.03 g vs. 14.51 g plant⁻¹) compared to the control. However, P fertilization only increased the average individual seed weight in Fukuyutaka. P application also enhanced root nodulation-nodule numbers in Jenguma increased from 22 in (-P) to 102 in +P(PR)-and boosted nitrogen (N) fixation in both cultivars. Shoot dry weight doubled under P fertilization, accompanied significant increases in shoot N and P contents. Seed composition responses varied by cultivar: in Fukuyutaka, P application reduced protein content but increased lipid content, while in Jenguma, P fertilization increased protein content and had little to no effect on lipid content. Overall, the results demonstrate that calcined phosphate rock is an effective and affordable alternative to triple superphosphate for improving soybean growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and seed quality. It offers a promising phosphorus source for smallholder farmers in phosphorus-deficient soils of sub-Saharan Africa.
Keywords: Soybean, Phosphate rock, root nitrogen fixation, seed protein, seed lipid
Received: 23 Feb 2025; Accepted: 31 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sarr and Nakagawa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Papa Saliou Sarr, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
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