Soybean Radicle Emergence: Development of a Novel Vigor Test for Soybean
Date
2024-12
Authors
Fletcher, Erin, E
Major Professor
Goggi, A. Susana
Advisor
Committee Member
Bhattacharyya, Ryan
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Abstract
Seed vigor testing has different definitions and protocols, depending on the crop or how the information will be used by the tester. Some vigor tests predict how a seed lot will perform under sub-optimal growing conditions, and some tests provide insight into shelf life of a seed lot. Since there are no standardized sets of rules from seed testing authorities like standard germination protocols, seed testing labs have used handbooks developed by individuals involved in seed testing or have developed their own protocols. Vigor scores can therefore differ significantly among labs who were testing the same seed lot. This research involved the process and results of developing a vigor testing protocol that would provide comparable results to the Accelerated Aging (AA) test for soybeans (Glycine max), but one that also proved to be a good indicator of early field emergence. Accelerated Aging tests were initially performed on 20 distinct seed lots. Those results were used as a comparative tool for varying parameters of day length, temperature, and radicle lengths during the development of the Soybean Radicle Emergence Test (SoyRET). After varying days of incubation at 16°C, the radicles that emerged were measured and those that reached or surpassed a set length in mm were considered vigorous. The percentage of vigorous seedlings is the vigor score that was compared to AA results during protocol development. After selection of the optimal testing parameters; four days at 16°C with radicle lengths ≥6mm; 49 distinct seed lots, each with a treated and non-treated version totaling 98 individual samples, had a SoyRET and AA performed as well as being planted in field trials. SoyRET and AA were able to predict early field emergence 80% and 84% of the time, respectively. For soybeans, the timing for planting is trending earlier which increases the risk of poor performance if the field conditions are sub-optimal, such as cold, wet soils leading to reduced seedling emergence and establishment. Development of the SoyRET was intended to standardize soybean vigor testing across labs within Bayer, ensuring that all pertinent information about a specific seed lot is available for the business to make decisions that reduce risk when selling specific seed lots by determining the potential of a seed lot to produce quality stands under less than favorable conditions. Having a standardized protocol where the results will be interpreted in the same way across regions would be of great benefit to seed testing laboratories. The reduced test time and use of a single type of media increases lab capacity to run more studies in less time, thereby making it easier to make more accurate business decisions around characterizing seed lots set for market.
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
Copyright
2024