Seed Encrusting with Plant Nutrients Enhances Germination, Plant Growth and Yield of Soybean (Glycine max)

Abstract

Background: Encrusted seeds receive a thinner coating than encrusted seeds and the coating process is halted before full roundness is achieved. This is beneficial for soybean seeds and enhances water-use efficiency during germination. Additionally, adding essential nutrients to seeds promotes germination and growth, enabling soybean plants to grow faster and to have a higher yield. Methods: Soybean seeds were encrusted with 3.45 g/kg NH4NO3, 4.60 g/kg NaH2PO4.H2O and 1.87 g/kg KCl, using vermiculite as the encrusting material and 0.4% w/w aqueous-carboxymethyl cellulose as the binder. The encrusting process was carried out in a rotary drum (Model SKK12) spinning at 40 rpm and the seeds were evaluated for seed quality parameters. Result: Encrusting seeds with all three types of plant nutrients had a positive impact on enhancing seed quality compared to non-encrusted seeds. In particular, encrusting seeds with 50 g/kg vermiculite and 1.87 g/kg KCl did not hinder the germination process. Moreover, it enhanced both the germination rate and speed of germination. Additionally, it promoted plant growth, including fresh and dry root weight, fresh shoot weight, fresh and dry plant weight, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, seed weight per plant and pod weight per plant. Therefore, encrusting seeds with 50 g/kg vermiculite and 1.87 g/kg KCl is recommended to enhance the quality of Chiang Mai 60 soybean seeds.