Soybean Seed Enrichment with Cobalt and Molybdenum as an Alternative to Conventional Seed Treatment
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior,
Gabriel Asa Corrêa Gruberger,
Paulo Henrique Silveira Cardoso,
Paula Wellen Barbosa Gonçalves,
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira,
Gian Franco Capra,
Arun Dilipkumar Jani
Affiliations
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior
Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Centenário 303, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
Gabriel Asa Corrêa Gruberger
Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Centenário 303, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
Paulo Henrique Silveira Cardoso
Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Centenário 303, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
Paula Wellen Barbosa Gonçalves
School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, Jaboticabal 14884-900, Brazil
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira
School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, Jaboticabal 14884-900, Brazil
Gian Franco Capra
Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Polo Bionaturalistico, Via Piandanna n◦ 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Arun Dilipkumar Jani
Department of Biology and Chemistry, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA 93955, USA
Biological nitrogen fixation in soybean is enhanced when seed is treated with cobalt (Co) and molybdenum (Mo) prior to planting. In this study, our objective was to verify if Co and Mo application during the reproductive phase of the crop increases seed Co and Mo concentration without adverse effects on seed quality. Two experiments were conducted. First, we investigated foliar and soil Co and Mo application under greenhouse conditions. Next, we validated the results obtained in the first study. The treatments for both experiments consisted of Co doses combined with Mo, and a control without Co and Mo application. The foliar application was more efficient in producing enriched Co and Mo seed; meanwhile, as Co doses increased so did Co and Mo concentrations in the seed. There were no adverse effects on nutrition, development, quality, and yield of parent plants and seed when these micronutrients were applied. The seed showed higher germination, vigor, and uniformity for the development of soybean seedlings. We concluded that the application of 20 g ha−1 Co and 800 g ha−1 Mo via foliar application at the reproductive stage of soybean increased germination rate and achieved the best growth and vigor index of enriched seed.
