Soybean seeds surface-coated with depolymerised chitins: chitinase activity as a predictive index for the harvest of beans in field culture

The chitinase activity of soybeans was 200% higher than that of the control in the callus culture of soybeans and in their seed germination period on treatment with depolymerised chitins (DP 2–8). In the field culture of soybean seeds surface-coated with a thin layer of depolymerised chitins, the soybean harvest was 118% higher than that of the control. The seed-coating treatment was thus effective in enhancing the bean harvest, and the chitinase activity of soybean seeds during their germination period was usable as a predictive index for the harvest of beans in field culture.