Inoculation of seeds as a factor in increasing the productivity of soybean varieties of different maturity groups under irrigation conditions in southern Ukraine

Abstract

A two-factor study was conducted to investigate the impact of inoculants on the productivity of soybean varieties from different maturity groups under the soil and climatic conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine, following generally accepted methodologies. Factor A consisted of early-maturing (Krynytsia, Rizdvyana, Zlatoslava) and early-ripening (Aurelinа, Bettina, NS Maximus) soybean varieties. Factor B involved seed inoculation with bacterial preparations: control (water treatment), Bioboost Plus, Biomag-Soy, Ekovital, Humisol, Optimize 400, Rhizogumin. The bacterial preparations Rhizogumin and Humisol showed a relatively weak effect, while Ekovital and Optimize 400 contributed to a significant increase in yield – up to 25% compared to the control. The grain yield with the use of Ekovital and Optimize 400 was 3.17–3.25 t/ha, demonstrating their high effectiveness in the technology of growing early-maturing soybean varieties. These same inoculants also demonstrated maximum effectiveness in the cultivation of early-ripening soybean varieties, confirming their high biological activity and ability to improve plant growth and development. The yield increase in treatments using the Rhizogumin preparation for growing early-ripening varieties was within the experimental error (LSD05), thus its impact on grain yield was determined to be insignificant. Early-ripening soybean varieties in the experiment formed a higher yield level compared to early-maturing varieties. The Zlatoslava variety stood out among early-maturing varieties for its yield, demonstrating a statistically significant advantage. Among early-ripening varieties, the Aurelina variety produced a higher yield, although its indicators did not show significant differences from the NS Maximus variety, indicating their equal potential. Seed inoculation with bacterial preparations had a positive effect on grain quality: Optimize 400 and Ekovital increased protein content, while Rhizogumin enhanced oil content. The conditional yield of protein per hectare of soybean crops increased by 4.63–27.78% due to seed bacterization, and oil yield increased by 7.27–23.64%, with the best results observed when using Ekovital and Optimize 400. This supports the rationale for their application to improve the quality characteristics of the harvest. © (2025), (Polskie Towarzystwo Inzynierii Ekologicznej (PTIE)).