Physiological quality of soybean seeds under different yield environments and plant density

Abstract

Yield potential of agricultural fields associated with plant spatial arrangement could determine the physiological quality of soybean (Glycine max L.) seeds. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the physiological quality of soybean seeds from different yield environments and plant densities. Experiments were carried out in Boa Vista das Missões-RS, Brazil, during the 2014/2015 growing season. Yield environments were delineated by overlapping yield maps from the 2008, 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 growing seasons. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a 2 x 5 factorial arrangement with two yield environments (low and high) and five plant densities, with four replicates. Two varieties were tested: Brasmax Ativa RR (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 plants m-1) and Nidera 5909 RR (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 plants m-1). After harvested, the seeds were analysed as following: first count index, germination, abnormal seedlings, dead seeds, electrical conductivity, accelerate aging test, root length, hypocotyl length and seedling length. The spatial variability of seed vigor in the production field could be reduced by adjusting plant density, but the adjustment should consider the variety. Harvest according to yield environment is a strategy to separate lots of seeds with higher vigor, originated from high-yield environments.

Adaptation of technological packaging for conservation of soybean seeds in storage units as an alternative to modified atmospheres

“…over six months of storage. These results contrast several studies that evaluated the quality of soybean seeds in different packaging and storage environments, achieving satisfactory results when the seeds were stored at low temperatures in environments considered artificially cooled [20,23,24,26,32,37,38,42,44,46,47,50].…”

“…cultivar RR. The ANEL condition differed positively from the others, maintaining the apparent specific mass of the seeds over the six months of storage, while the other treatments achieved satisfactory results until the fourth months of storage, contrary to several published works with different packages and refrigerated environments [20,23,24,26,32,37,38,42,44,46,47,50]. Cluster 3 was formed by P1, P2, P5, P9, P13, P14, P15, P16, P20, P21, P25, P26, P29, P33, P37, P38, P39, P40, P41, P45, and P47, and no variable stood out.…”

“…This phenomenon allowed greater deterioration and reduction of the vigor and viability of the lot. Smaniotto et al [37] evaluated the storage of soybean seeds with an average temperature of 27˚C during 180 days of storage. They observed a reduction in water content from 12, 13, and 14% (w.b.)…”

“…Results showed lower values of ions leached in seeds stored with refrigeration, which indicates the organization of the cell tissues of the seeds. Smaniotto et al [37] studied the physiological quality of soybean seeds stored under different conditions. They observed that the storage of seeds with a water content of 12% (w.b.…”

“…Smaniotto et al [37] investigated the physiological quality of stored soybean seeds and reported that soybean seeds with water contents of 12, 13, and 14% (w.b.) artificially cooled at 20˚C maintained the germinative power of the seeds until 180 storage days.…”