Crescimento, desenvolvimento e potencial de rendimento de soja em função do tipo de crescimento e grupo de maturidade relativa em ambiente subtropical

Abstract

The objectives of this thesis were: To estimate the relative maturity group of old and modern soybean cultivars used in Southern Brazil; To quantify the branches contribution in the leaf area index; To characterize the development and the overlap period of vegetative and reproductive phases, growth in height and the emission of nodes after the beginning of flowering in determinate and indeterminate plant type cultivars in different sowing dates and soybean regions in Rio Grande do Sul and; To identify key biophysical and management factors governing variation in soybean yield potential in Southern Brazil. Were conducted 47 experiments using 23 soybean cultivars in five growing seasons (2010/2011, 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015) at 12 sites in Rio Grande do Sul. The relative maturity group these cultivars that had not yet been classified ranged from 4.8 to 7.3. Most cultivars showed a reduction on total leaf area index, maximum, of main stem and of branches, in the duration of the reproductive phase, of the total development cycle with delay on sowing date regardless of the maturity group and type of growth. The indeterminate type cultivars had a higher overlap period of vegetative and reproductive phases, growing in height and emission nodes after the beginning of flowering bigger than determinate type cultivars. The potential yield ranged from 2.8 up to 6.0 Mg ha-1, depending on the amount and distribution of water during the growing season and the photothermal coefficient during reproductive stages of the soybean.