Sowing seasons and qualitative performance of soybean seeds

Abstract

Changes in the soybean sowing season directly reflect on the physiological potential of the seeds produced. This study aimed to identify sowing seasons that qualitatively improve the soybean seeds yield. The experiments were conducted in two growing seasons, in a 2 × 4 × 6 factorial scheme, with four sowing seasons and six soybean cultivars (Don Mario 5.8i RR, BMX Energia RR, BMX Força RR, BRS 255 RR, BRS 294 RR and BRS 295 RR). A complete randomized blocks design, with three replications, was used. Twelve informative quality characteristics of soybean seeds were evaluated, based on tests of germination, mechanical damage, accelerated aging and tetrazolium. The sowing season and cultivars significantly affected seed quality. A difference in the sensitivity of cultivars to variations in the sowing season was noticed, concerning seed quality attributes. Sowings in mid-December are recommended for high quality seed production.

Keywords

• Glycine max (L.)
• germination
• tetrazolium