The Effects of Foliar Boron and Silica Through the Leaves on Soybean Growth and Yield

Abstract

This study was aimed to determine the effect of the increasing silica and boron concentration and their interaction on plant growth and soybean yield. This research was conducted from April-September 2017 in the integrated field of the experiment at the University Lampung. The treatments were 0 and 5 ppm Boron (B) fertilizer and Silica (Si) concentrations in 6 levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm). The difference between the means of B were calculated by using Orthogonal Contrast and response of Si was used Polynomial at a 0.05. The results showed that application of 5 ppm of B foliarly produced higher of soybean growth and production than without B treatment through variables of the dry weight and grain weight. Application of up to 125 ppm of Si foliarly was improved of soybean growth and production through variables of plant height, number of leaf, leaf area, dry weight and number of productive branch, number of pods, filled pod, and grain weight, but it didn’t affect the percentage of empty pods. The response of soybean growth and production to the increasing Si didn’t depend on the foliar B which was showed in all variables.