Effect of bacterial inoculation and boron fertilization on the soybean Augusta cultivar’s root parameters
This conference poster evaluated the effect of integrating soybean seed inoculation with commercially available microbial inoculants and foliar boron fertilization on root system development and nodulation in the soybean cultivar Augusta. The field experiment was conducted at the University of Agriculture Experimental Station in Prusy, Poland, on high-quality wheat-complex soil. Three inoculants were compared: two bacterial products (Nitragina and Nitroflora) and one fungal (Mykoflorin). Seeds were inoculated at planting, and boron was applied twice as a foliar spray during the seedling and budding stages. Root biomass, root architecture, and root nodulation were evaluated at flowering. The combined application of bacterial inoculation and foliar boron significantly improved several root system characteristics. Treatments combining boron with Nitragina or Nitroflora produced the greatest increases in root length density, while boron combined with Mykoflorin resulted in the highest root surface area density. Although the treatments reduced mean root diameter, the combination of bacterial inoculation and boron substantially increased root nodule mass, with the highest nodule mass observed for the Nitragina plus boron treatment. Mykoflorin also increased nodulation but to a lesser extent, whereas Nitroflora was the least effective inoculant. The findings suggest that integrating microbial seed inoculation with foliar boron fertilization can enhance soybean root development and biological nitrogen fixation by improving root architecture and nodulation. This integrated management approach may help improve soybean adaptation to suboptimal growing conditions and support more sustainable production by reducing reliance on mineral nitrogen fertilizer. As this work was presented as a conference poster, the results provide preliminary evidence and do not report grain yield or long-term agronomic performance.

