Crescimento inicial de plantas de soja com a aplicação de biopotencializador em sementes de baixo e alto vigor

The use of biopotential enhancers in seed treatment can improve germination rates and initial plant development under field conditions, especially when using low-vigor seeds. In this context, this study was conducted to evaluate the emergence and initial growth of soybean seedlings in response to the application of doses of the Crop Evo® biopotential enhancer to seeds with low and high vigor levels. The experimental design used was completely randomized, and the treatments were arranged in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments consisted of using two seed vigor levels (high and low) and applying five doses of biopotential enhancer (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mL kg–1 of seed) to the seeds. Fourteen days after sowing, the percentage of emergence, emergence speed index, mean emergence time, shoot length, and root dry matter production of the seedlings were evaluated. The results showed that the application of a biopotential enhancer (Crop Evo®) in seed treatment improved the emergence and emergence speed of soybean seedlings from low-vigor seeds. However, the application of the biopotential enhancer had no effect on the emergence process of soybean seedlings from high-vigor seeds. The application of the biopotential enhancer in seed treatment stimulated the growth and dry matter production of soybean seedlings, regardless of whether low- or high-vigor seeds were used. The optimal dose of biopotential enhancer to be applied in soybean seed treatment to stimulate initial seedling growth can vary from 10 to 15 mL kg–1 of seed.