SOYBEAN GRAIN YIELD IS IMPACTED BY THE SOWING DEPTH AND THE TYPE OF SOIL COVER

Abstract

Implementing a crop such as a soybean requires favorable sowing conditions so that uniform and healthy seedlings emerge. This study aimed to evaluate the yield of soybeans crop concerning the type of soil cover and sowing depth. The experiment was conducted at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul - University Unit of Cassilândia. A Completely randomized design with four replications in a 3x5 factorial scheme was used. Three cropping systems (without soil cover, millet straw, and brachiaria straw) and five sowing depths (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 cm) were evaluated. The emergence speed index, plant height, stem diameter, first pod insertion height, number of branches, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, and grain yield per plant were assessed. The highest yield per plant was obtained with millet straw and a sowing depth of 6 cm. It can be concluded that the sowing depth and type of straw influence the soybean grain yield.