Manganese and Boron Coated Potash As an Alternative Method to Correct Soybean Nutrient Deficiency in Coastal Plain Soils.

Manganese and boron are two essential micronutrients for plant growth and are commonly deficient in acid, sandy soils and in soils with high pH. Our experiment tested the ability of a novel coated fertilizer to correct these deficiency symptoms by applying the micronutrients coated on potash fertilizer granules. It was hypothesized that the novel fertilizer would produce better soybean growth than those treated with traditional fertilizer and the control (unfertilized). Soybeans were grown in the greenhouse with the three treatments being control, uncoated KCl (traditional), and Mn and B coated KCl (novel) for 60 days, with soil and plant tissue samples being collected throughout the experiment. Field studies were also conducted in the Coastal Plain of Virginia in the summers of 2016 and 2017. The results of both studies will be discussed, with the main focus looking at the results of the two-year field study.