Grain quality in two soybean cultivars in relation to the water availability and plant arrangement

The soybean is a crop with high demand for nitrogen (N) due to the grain protein content of about 40%. Because of the high protein, soybean is of great economic importance. The present study had its objectives to determine the effect of water availability and soybean plant arrangement on grain quality of two cultivars. With this objective, an experiment was performed during the 1998/99 growing season, in the Agronomic Experimental Station of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (EEA/UFRGS), Eldorado do Sul, RS. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete-block in a split split-plot design, with four replications. Two water availability (irrigated and not irrigated), two cultivars (BRS 137 and BRS 138) and three row spacings (20cm, 40cm and 20-40cm in skip row) were tested. The leaf N content was evaluated during crop growth, and the protein and oil content, as well as the size and weight of the grains, at the harvest. The average grain yield was of 3360kg ha-1. The irrigation increased grain yield by 1101kg ha-1 (39%), due to the increase in leaf N, size and weight of the grain. The yield of the cultivar BRS 137 was 535kg ha-1 (17%) greater, as well as it produced grains with larger size, weight and protein content than BRS 138. In the late reproductive stage, leaf N was higer in 20cm and 40cm, what resulted in larger protein content and grain yield 18 and 13% higher, compared to 20-40 cm in skip row, respectively. The grain oil content was not altered by the treatments.

Glycine max; irrigation; row spacing; protein; oil; nitrogen