Spatial autocorrelation of soybean plant populations and physical attributes of Oxisol¹

Autocorrelação espacial de populações de plantas de soja e atributos físicos de um Latossolo

HIGHLIGHTS:

Maps with the use of bivariate techniques are important tools for exploratory studies of agricultural fields.

The soybean crop yield does not increase or decrease according to the variation of the adopted plant population.

Sowing planning with plant population reduction is important to increase the producer’s profit.

ABSTRACT

Among the necessary phytotechnical adjustments, the correct recommendation of the plant population of each soybean cultivar is of paramount importance for success in crop production. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the distribution and spatial autocorrelation of the soybean plant population according to the spatial variability of the physical and chemical attributes of Oxisol in the Brazilian Cerrado region. The attributes studied were plant population, soybean grain yield, apparent soil electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, hydrogenionic potential, and clay content in the soil. The plant population varied inversely as a function of apparent soil electrical conductivity. The areas with the highest values of apparent soil electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, and clay content had the lowest plant populations. Soybean yield was not influenced by increase or decrease in the plant population. Thus, it is economically viable to plant with lower plant density to improve the farmer’s profit margin.

Key words:
Glycine max; moran index; precision agriculture; spatial dependence