Quality of soybean cultivar seeds as a function of pod position in the plant canopy

Resumen

The quality of soybean seeds is a determining factor for crop establishment and productivity, being influenced by physiological and sanitary aspects, as well as the po-sition of the pods in the plant canopy. The objective of the study was to evaluate the physiological and sanitary quality of seeds from two soybean cultivars based on the position of the pods (upper, middle, and lower third) in the canopy. The experiment was conducted in the field in Balsas, MA, using a randomized block design with split plots, evaluating the cultivars Brasmax Olimpo IPRO and CZ 58B23 I2X, with four replications. Analyses were performed for germination, vigor (accelerated aging, emergence, and emergence speed index), electrical conductivity, dry mass, and seed health, followed by statistical analysis using ANOVA and multivariate methods (canonical analysis and GGE biplot). The results indicated that the position of the seeds in the canopy signifi-cantly influences physiological quality, with the middle third being the most favorable, showing higher germination, vigor, stability, and better overall performance of the Brasmax Olimpo IPRO cultivar. The sanitary quality regarding the presence of Fusarium sp. and Cercospora sp. was also influenced by the position of the seeds on the plant, with the best performance in the middle third in both cultivars.