Effect of Natural Extracts during Storage Conditions on Seed Quality and Yield Performance of Soybean Cultivar Giza 22

Abstract

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) at 20 g/kg, Neem seed extract (NSE) at 25 g/kg, and Silica gel (SG) at 25 g/kg on seed quality, field performance, and seed yield of Giza 22 soybean seeds during various of storage durations and environmental conditions. Study Design: Three experiments investigated storage, germinability, and field performance of seeds using a FCRD with four replicates. The seed storage trial assessed open and cool storages conditions across durations of 1, 4, 8, and 12 months, with seed treatments of DE, NSE, and SG. Germinability and field performance were evaluated under the same storage conditions and treatments. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P = 0.05. Place and Duration of Study: The storage and germination trials were conducted at the preservation labs of the Seed Technology Research Unit, Mansoura City, FCRI, ARC, Egypt. While, the field experiment took place on a private farm in the village at geoical location 30°53'39"N 31°20'51"E. Methodology: The seeds were tested under open storage at ambient room conditions and cool storage at 5°C and 30% RH, and storage periods at four levels with two months interval. Results: Isolated data clarify applying cool storage or seed treatments (DE, NSE, and SG) over all storage periods significantly (P = 0.05) exceed open storage or the untreated control seeds, respectively. Cool storage combined with DE, NSE, and SG seed treatments significantly yielded the highest stored seed quality indices, field performance and seed yield compared to the untreated control seeds stored at open or cool storage conditions. Conclusion: It could be concluded that, the application of diatomaceous earth, neem seed extract, and silica gel on soybean seeds during storage has been shown to provide several benefits i.e., extend seed storability, reduce insect damage, improve seed germination and seedling vigor, and increasing seed yield.