Selênio na Mitigação dos Efeitos da Restrição Hídrica em Sementes de Soja (Glycine max L.)

Abstract

Seed priming with beneficial substances is a promising strategy to improve the germination performance of agricultural crops under adverse conditions. This study evaluated the effect of different concentrations of sodium selenite (0; 2.5; 5; 10; 20 and 40 mg/L) on the germination process and early seedling growth of soybean cultivar Lenda IPRO, subjected to water restriction simulated by polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) at osmotic potentials of 0 and - 0.1 MPa. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory under a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme. Germination percentage, germination speed index, mean germination time, fresh and dry biomass accumulation, shoot and root length, and seedling vigor indexes were evaluated. Results indicated that low selenium concentrations, especially 5 mg/L, promoted seedling growth and vigor, even surpassing the control treatment in some variables under stress conditions. In contrast, the concentration of 40 mg/L showed a reduction, impairing germination and early development. Simulated water deficit mainly affected seed vigor without significantly compromising germination viability. It is concluded that seed priming with 5 mg/L of selenium represents an efficient alternative to mitigate the negative effects of water deficit during the early development stage of soybean.