Plant Health Insights

Accomplish MAX Helps Soybeans Overcome Fertilizer Salt Stress

Written by Agricen | March 8, 2023

Salt stress can significantly hamper soybean germination and development. Since Accomplish MAX is designed to help crops better tolerate abiotic stresses such as salt and cold, the Nutrien Ag Solutions Carolinas Division set up a trial in Ahoskie, North Carolina, to evaluate how well Accomplish MAX could help mitigate the effects of fertilizer salt stress on a soybean crop at planting.  

To intentionally elicit an adverse salinity response, 10-27-0 starter fertilizer was applied at 5 gallons per acre in-furrow with the soybean seed. Accomplish MAX was applied at 1 quart per acre with the liquid starter fertilizer on half of the field.

The addition of Accomplish MAX to the liquid starter fertilizer had a positive impact on germination and establishment in soybeans under fertilizer salt stress.

As seen in the photo below, soybeans planted in the untreated part of the field struggled with germination and establishment, while those planted where the Accomplish MAX treatment was applied were up and established more quickly.

Soils that are high in salts, whether from irrigation waters or from commercial fertilizers, can negatively affect seed germination and plant development. Accomplish MAX contains kelp technology that can help mitigate salt and sodium stress in several ways, including by freeing calcium from the soil chemistry (which allows sodium to be flushed from the root zone), encouraging plants to take up additional potassium to offset the toxic effects of sodium, and breaking soluble salts apart. 
 
This trial, which used 10-27-0 to intentionally induce salt stress in soybeans, demonstrates that Accomplish MAX can be an important addition to fertility or management programs for crops that may be affected by salinity.

Learn more by downloading the Accomplish MAX salt stress bulletin.