Seed Quality in Relation to Seed Development and Maturation in Three Genotypes of Soyabean (Glycine max)

Summary Changes in seed quality were monitored during seed development and maturation in three genotypes of soyabean (Glycine max), the USA cv. Bossier, the Indonesian line TGm 737p, and their cross TGx 536–02D in a controlled environment of 30°/20°C (day/night temperatures). The capacity of seeds to germinate following desiccation and their potential longevity increased after the end of the seed-filling phase. Potential longevity reached a maximum close to harvest maturity (that is, when seed moisture content had declined naturally to 14–15%). The subsequent decline in potential longevity in all three genotypes was quantitatively similar to that predicted in post-harvest air-dry seed storage in similar environments, but was far less in TGm 737p than in the other two genotypes as a consequence of the lower moisture content of its mature seeds. These findings contradict the previously well-established hypotheses that seed quality in soyabean is maximal at the end of the seed-filling phase and that viability and vigour begin to decline immediately thereafter. They also infer that the desirable seed longevity characteristics of the Indonesian line TGm 737p may not have been successfully incorporated into the cross TGx 536–02D. Calidad y desarrollo de similla en la soja