Screening Soybean Tropical and Subtropical Cultivars for Sulfur-Use Efficiency.

Screening soybean tropical and subtropical cultivars for sulfur-use efficiency

Adonis Moreira1 and Larissa Alexandra Cardoso Moraes1. 1. Embrapa Soybean, Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil 86001-970, CP 231.

Modern agricultural techniques have been increasing the yield of soybean (Glycine max L.) while also causing increasing removal of sulfur (S) from the soil. Besides this, the use of concentrated fertilizers with this element and inadequate soil management, with consequent formation of organic matter with low S concentration, has been causing frequent deficiency symptoms in the plants. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate S-use efficiency of eight soybean tropical and subtropical cultivars (BRS 317, BRS 295RR, BRS 316RR, BRS 360RR, Vmax RR, BMX Turbo RR, BMX Potência RR, and NA 5909RR). The cultivars were grown on a Typic Quatzipsamment (86 g kg^-1 of clay and 870 g kg^-1 of sand) at 0 mg S kg^-1 (natural soil concentration) and 80 mg S kg^-1 of soil applied. The most S-efficient cultivars were: BMX Turbo RR and BRS 316RR, while the most inefficient were: Vmax RR and BRS 317. Grain yield and most of the yield attributing characteristics have significant S × cultivars interactions, which indicate that cultivars respond differently under distinct S concentration in the soil. Thus, cultivar selection is an important strategy for soybean production in Brazilian soils with low clay content.