Calidad fisiosanitaria de semillas de soja: efecto combinado de exposición al ambiente y niveles de da？o mecánico en la cosecha

in argentina, the business of certified soybean seed production shows underperformance; therefore, a highly efficient production system is necessary to be able to compete in this field. in this respect, factors affecting competitiveness such as the sensitivity of some cultivars to the delay in harvest time and to the damage resulting from this delay have not been evaluated in terms of seed quality. the objective of this study was to evaluate the physiosanitary quality of soybean seeds from different cultivars in response to combined treatments of environmental exposure and levels of mechanical damage at harvest in local production. soybean seeds from four cultivars with varied degrees of environmental damage, mechanical damage and fungal incidence were studied. quality was evaluated through germination, vigor, mechanical damage, moisture content, and health tests. the response of physiosanitary variables to the mechanical procedures differed for each of the evaluated cultivars, which showed a decrease in germination and vigor and, generally, an increase in the incidence of fungi. however, these effects were less marked than the effects resulting from the environmental exposure period factor.