Enhancing the Water Stress Tolerance in Soybean (Glycine max L.) through Anti-Transpirants and Mulch

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2014 2015 in the Agricultural Research Station, Adilabad, Telangana to assess the effect of straw mulch and anti – transpirants on growth and yield of soybean. The treatment consisted of A) Antitranspirants (5) (spray at 15 days after flower initiation): T1 MgCO3 @ 5% T2 Glycerol @ 5% T3 KNO3 @ 1% T4 NaCO3 @ 5% T5 Control (water spray) B). Straw mulch @ 5 t/ ha after sowing C) Control (no mulch). Among the different anti transpirants, Na2CO3 @ 5% recorded higher mean seed yield (2862 kg/ ha) which was at par with Glycerol @ 5% (2762 kg/ ha) and MgCO3 @ 5% (2731 kg/ ha). Mulch (straw mulch @ 5 t/ ha) was significantly superior over control (without mulch) with highest mean seed yield (2723 kg/ ha). The combination of straw mulch and anti – transpirant can be recommended as an effective with respect to yield and cost for the soybean under rainfed condition.