Effects of Paper Mill Sludge on Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, and Magnesium Concentrations in Different Soybean Cultivars

A field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil at an Experimental Farm in Taejon, South Korea, to determine the effects of paper mill sludge compost application rates on K, Na, Ca and Mg concentrations of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) aboveground tissues and the genotypic effects on the concentrations of these elements. Sludge compost treatments of 0, 75, and 150 t ha-1 were applied to 30 diverse soybean cultivars. Concentrations of K, Na, Ca, and Mg in aboveground tissues harvested 69 days after planting (DAP) varied with the genotype and the application rate of paper-mill sludge compost, with the sludge compost application rate exerting stronger influence on these concentrations than the genotype. The magnitude of variation caused by both genotype and sludge compost application was in the order of Mg > K > Ca > Na. Significantly positive correlations were observed between K and Na (P < 0.01), Na and Ca (P < 0.05), and Ca and Mg (P < 0.01). Also, the lower the sludge compost application rate,