Uso de filme de partícula à base de cálcio: fisiologia nas plantas e qualidade de sementes na cultura da soja

Abstract

Soybean cultivation is extremely important for the global economy as soybean is a source of vegetable oil and proteins and is used as a raw material in various products for human and animal consumption. The largest producers of this crop are Brazil, the USA, Argentina, and China, collectively representing approximately 90% of global production. However, yield is threatened by the intensity of climate change, with annual increases in temperature, incidence of ultraviolet and infrared rays, and reduction in the rainy season. These changes cause stress in plants, resulting in damage to the physiological process and negatively impacting growth and production. In soybean cultivation, stresses caused by temperature and light directly affect photosynthesis, leading to a reduction in photosynthetic rates due to the lower availability of CO2. Under these conditions, the production of reactive oxygen species and photoinhibition increase, resulting in decreased yield and seed quality. It is necessary to implement alternative technologies to minimize the harmful effects of climate change. In this sense, the use of particle films has emerged as a tool to mitigate the adverse effects of climatic conditions during the crop cycle. The artificial shading provided by the films reduces the impacts of high temperatures and radiation. Particle films increase reflection of excess photosynthetically active radiation in the crop, protecting the chlorophyll content and positively affecting the transient chlorophyll fluorescence. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a calcium oxide-based particle film at different concentrations on soybean ecophysiological parameters and seed quality. Thus, ecophysiological parameters such as net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll a and b indices, and transient chlorophyll a fluorescence were evaluated. Seed quality was determined using seed image analysis, thousand-seed weight, water content, the germination test, the germination speed index, seedling image analysis, and seedling dry weight. The results showed that the use of particle film increased the efficiency of the photosynthetic system and yield, and positively affected seed quality. This technology proves to be a viable alternative for managing soybean crops by mitigating the abiotic stress on plants in the field and by increasing their yield, generating more income for producers.