PLANT PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE AND SEED CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SOYBEAN UNDER DIFFERENT SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT

Few studies present interactions among plant physiological and seed chemical composition of soybean cultivates under different arrangements. Therefore, this study seeks to understand this relationship between space occupation and product quality. We grew two soybean cultivars (Tec 7849 Ipro and Monsoy 6972 Ipro) in four different spatial arrangements (50.0 x 7.1; 40.0 x 8.9; 30.0 x 11.9 and 18.9 x 18.9 or 16.2 x 16.2 cm, respectively). During V4 and R2 phenological stages, we analyzed the gas exchange, and at the harvest were composed two different lots: freshly harvested seeds and the seeds subjected to accelerated aging; in both lots, we evaluated germination test, vigor, germination speed index, seedling fresh mass, and the determination of the chemical composition of the seeds. For experiment conducted to analyze physiological parameters we adopted the factorial scheme 2x2x4 (two evaluation periods x two soybean cultivars x four spatial arrangements), and for seed quality and chemical composition, we adopted the factorial scheme 2x4 (two soybean cultivars x four spatial crop arrangements). The vegetative stage was crucial for better gas exchange efficiency, and the spatial arrangements positively influenced the physiological and chemical quality of the seeds for soybean crop, where the fitted arrangement was observed in 40.0 cm between rows and 8.9 cm between plants for the cultivar Tec 7849 Ipro and 50.0 cm between rows and 5.3 cm between plants, for Monsoy 6972 Ipro. Adjusts in spatial arrangements can promote beneficial responses in seed quality.