safiye arab; mehdi baradaran firouzabadi; ahmad gholami; mostafa haydari
Abstract
Introduction
Soybean seeds are sensitive to storage due to their high oil content and they aged quickly. Aging of seeds leads to a decrease in the percentage and speed of germination ...
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Introduction
Soybean seeds are sensitive to storage due to their high oil content and they aged quickly. Aging of seeds leads to a decrease in the percentage and speed of germination and ultimately to a decrease in seed yield. Although the aging rate can be reduced with proper storage methods, the application of some treatments on the aged seeds or spraying some substances on the plants obtained from these seeds can be effective in improving the seed yield. The use of anti-aging substances such as seaweed extract in plants can act as antioxidants and reduce the effects of aging.
Materials and Methods
In order to evaluate the phenological stages and yield of soybean, an experiment was carried out in the research farm of Shahrood University of Technology during 2019 and 2020 in three replications. The treatments include the initial seed quality in two levels (normal seeds and aged seeds) and seaweed extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) in four levels (control, priming, foliar spraying and combined application of priming and foliar spraying with a concentration of 0.3%). The experiment was carried out as a factorial in the form of a basic design of randomized complete blocks.
Results and Discussion
In this research, applying accelerated aging caused a significant increase in phenological traits in soybean plants. The use of seaweed extract as a priming and the combined use of priming and foliar spraying could increase the rate of occurrence of phenological traits to a significant level. The seed yield in plants obtained from aged seeds was 32.69% less than that of control plants. The use of seaweed extract as priming, foliar spraying and the combined use of priming and foliar spraying increase the seed yield by 43.54, 15.69 and 87.85 percent, respectively. Aging caused a significant decrease of 23.50 and 25.33 percent of final emergence percentage. Pretreatment of normal and aged seeds with seaweed extract in the first year increased this trait by 16.33 and 7.33% compared to the absence of seaweed extract. In the second year of the experiment, the application of seaweed extract resulted in a 12.67% increase in seedling growth under normal conditions, and an 8.33% increase was recorded with the application of seaweed extract under aging conditions.
Conclusion
In this study, the application of seaweed extract as seed priming better than foliar spraying. It is possible to recommend priming and the combination of priming and foliar spraying with seaweed extract to accelerate the occurrence of phenological traits in soybeans. The combined use of priming and foliar spraying of seaweed extract is recommended to improve the performance of soybeans in normal and aged conditions.