Phosphorus fertilization and cropping systems on the physiological and sanitary quality of soybean seeds

Abstract

ABSTRACT Combining phosphorus fertilization and a conservationist soybean cultivation system favors the production of seeds with a high physiological and sanitary quality. Thus, this study evaluated the physiological and sanitary quality of soybean seeds from plants fertilized with different phosphorus sources and grown under different crop succession systems in the Cerrado of Maranhão, Brazil. The experiment was set up in a randomized block design and organized in a split-plot scheme with three replicates. In the plots, the presence or absence of cover with Urochloa ruziziensis (Syn. Brachiaria ruziziensis) was evaluated, and the subplots were composed of different phosphorus fertilizer sources: organomineral 1 (O1), organomineral 2 (O2), simple superphosphate (SSP), and the control (not fertilized with phosphorus). The following seed variables were analyzed: moisture content, emergence, emergence speed index, total dry phytomass, germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, and seed health. The succession system with U. ruziziensis and SSP fertilization resulted in the best soybean performance in the Cerrado of Maranhão with a higher physiological and sanitary seed quality. O1 and O2 also yielded satisfactory results, positively contributing to seed vigor and health but slightly less so than SSP.