Seed quality and crop performance of soybeans submitted to different forms of treatment and seed size

Cristiane Moi Soares,Marcos Paulo Ludwig,Leticia Decarli,Claudia Moi Soares Rother

doi:10.1590/2317-1545v41n1210486

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different grain sizes and treatments in the physiological quality of seeds and performance of soybean cultures. The object of analysis were seeds from the cultivars Monsoy 5730 IPRO and Monsoy 5947 IPRO, sized 5.5 and 6.5 mm. The industrial seed treatment was carried out in lot equipment, with the products cyantraniliprole, thiamethoxam, metalaxyl, thiabendazole, and a combination of fludioxonil + polymer + talc. The conventional treatment was performed with the products cyantraniliprole, thiamethoxam, metalaxyl, thiabendazole, and fludioxonil. Part of the seeds was kept untreated (control). The experiment used a randomized block design, with four replications. The parameters assessed include the moisture content measurement, seed coating, germination, first germination count, field emergence, survival rate, and grain yield (right after the seed treatment and after 45 days of storage). The industrial treatment method produced a better seed coating. As for seed size, it had no effect on quality or grain yield. Last, the treated seeds presented the best results for emergence in field, while the industrial treatment achieved the highest productivity.

Highlights

The area cultivated with soybean in Brazil has increased by 3.4%, going from 33,909.4 thousand hectares (2016/2017) to 35,046.5 thousand (2017/2018)
It is worth remarking that the small variations in moisture content did not impact the physiological quality of the seeds, because values below 12% (w.b.) tend to keep their quality at its highest, being recommended for preserving the vigor of soybean seeds (Smaniotto et al, 2014)
Seed size has no influence on the productivity or quality of soybean seeds subjected to different chemical treatments

Summary

Introduction

The area cultivated with soybean in Brazil has increased by 3.4%, going from 33,909.4 thousand hectares (2016/2017) to 35,046.5 thousand (2017/2018). The estimated production should reach 113,024.60 thousand tons, in contrast with the 114,075.30 thousand from the previous harvest, which represents a decrease of 0.9% (CONAB, 2018). These data evidence the essential role played by soybean culture in the Brazilian socio-economic scenario, as well as it emphasizes the importance of using management techniques, in order to improve productivity. Since soybean is the primary national agricultural product for exportation, studies that contribute to maximizing the yield are fundamental. Quality enhancement and cost reduction in the controlling of plagues and diseases are crucial aspects in sustaining the national production chain (Burssolaro et al, 2011). The usage of treated seeds is directly related to high productivity (Ludwig et al, 2015)

Objectives

Methods

Results