Effect of concentrations, times of sweet algae extract applications on soybean development and productivity

Abstract

In the literature there are works focused on studies of marine algae applied to soybean culture, however, little is known about the application of freshwater algae extracts in the culture, being necessary more in-depth studies about the benefits of these products of natural origin. The objective was to evaluate the effect of application periods and increasing concentrations of freshwater seaweed extract on the agronomic components of soybean. The experiment was set up in the experimental unit of the Federal University of Tocantins, with a randomized block design with four repetitions, in a 7x4+1 factorial scheme, with the first factor consisting of seven periods of application (V3, V3V7, V3R2, V3V7R2, V7, V7R2 and R2) and the second, four concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%), plus a control treatment without application of the extract. The cultivar used was 8579 RSF. The characteristics evaluated were: plant height, number of pods per plant, number of grains per plant, number of grains per pod, weight of grains per plant, dry mass of the aerial part and root. The seaweed extract did not show significance for the evaluated characteristics, except for the root dry mass, where it showed a negative effect when applied at V3 stage, where the plants showed a reduction in mass when compared to the R2 stage, for the concentration of 1.5%.