The influence of the application of different plant aqueous extracts on grain and protein yield in soybean production

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of aqueous extracts of different plant species on the grain and protein yield of soybean. The testing was conducted at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad on the seeds of the NS Apolo variety. The aqueous extracts of the above-ground part of nettle, the above-ground part of nettle and comfrey, whole banana fruit, banana peel, onion bulbs leaves, the top parts of willow twigs and the top parts of soybean plants were foliarly applied. In addition to the untreated control variant, the experiment also included a distilled water control. Control with distilled water was to show whether the effect of aqueous plant extracts was due to plant material or just water. The results of the experiment showed that the use of aqueous extracts contributed to the increase in grain and protein yield. The increase in grain yield ranged from 9.48% to 15.34%, and the increase in protein yield from 9.31% to 16.16%. The best effect was achieved by applying the aqueous extract of the whole banana fruit and the aqueous extract of the mix of nettle and comfrey. By applying them each year, a significantly higher yield was achieved in relation to the control with distilled water.