Seed Physiological Quality and Selectivity of Pre-Emergence Herbicides in Soybean (Glycine max L.)

Seed physiological quality significantly affects crop performance. Besides proper crop establishment, pre-emergence herbicides constitute one major weed-control strategy. This study evaluated selectivity of pre-emergence herbicides in soybean sown with seeds of high and low physiological quality. The experiment was conducted in Rio Verde, Brazil, in a 4x2 randomized block design, with four replications. The treatments consisted of low and high-quality seeds combined with pre-emergence herbicides imazethapyr + flumioxazin, diclosulam and sulfentrazone + diuron, and a control. Plants from high-quality seeds showed better performance than those grown from low-quality seeds. This resulted in a greater emergence speed index, plant height, inter-row cover, NDVI, plant population, first pod height, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. Regardless of seed quality, pre-emergence herbicides did not influence the evaluated traits. Highlights: • The physiological quality of seeds affects the phytotechnical performance of soybean crop. • There are no studies on the use of pre-emergence herbicides in soybean of different seed qualities. • Selective herbicides were applied in the field in the pre-emergence stage, associated with seeds of high and low physiological quality. • The herbicides sulfentrazone + diuron, diclosulam, and imazethapyr + flumioxazin did not influence the evaluated characteristics, regardless of the physiological quality of the seeds. • Plants from seeds of high physiological quality improve emergence, growth, productive yield, and grain yield, regardless of the herbicide.