Effects of Preharvest Desiccation Using Glufosinate-Ammonium on Quality Attributes of Freshly Harvested and Long-Term Stored Soybeans

Abstract

The preharvest desiccation of soybeans has been adopted in order to anticipate and uniformize the mechanical harvesting process. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of desiccation with glufosinate-ammonium on quality attributes of six soybean cultivars grown in southern Brazil (NS 5959, NS 5909, NS 6535, 95R95IPRO, 96Y90, and CZ26B42). Grains were evaluated as both freshly harvested and stored soybean (12 months at 30 °C). The desiccation treatment reduced the percentage of grains damaged by sucking insects (−38%); storage increased the fermented grains percentage (973%) while decreasing the percentage (−39%) of grains damaged by sucking insects. The results for solute leaching, electric conductivity, fat acidity, and protein solubility were dependent on all studied factors; however, the biggest changes are observed after storage (+634% for solute leaching and +30% for fat acidity). Principal component analysis indicated that the latent effects of storage were mainly represented by apigenin, p-coumaric acid, and naringenin. Preharvest desiccation with glufosinate-ammonium minimally affected the quality of the grains. The variables desiccation × storage × genotypes as well as their interactions must be considered when making decisions for future studies.