PHYSIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL QUALITIES OF SOYBEAN SEED YIELD AS A RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT IRRIGATION PRACTICES IN EGYPT

The aim of the paper is the analysis of the response of soybean seed yield and its component including (plant height, number of pods/plant, and 100-seed weight), water productivity and quality properties (physiochemical including protein and fats content and physiological including germination ratio, length of seedling shoots and roots, seedling dry weight, and seed vigor index ) to seven irrigation practices were evaluated in a field experiment based on a randomized complete block design; the irrigation practices including sprinkler and drip system at full irrigation with 100% ETc (S100 and D100) and deficit irrigation with 80 and 60% ETc (S80, D80, S60, D60) and compared to furrow irrigation (F). Findings revealed that, S100 and D100 improved seed yield by 10.8 and 16.8% compared to F treatment. The highest yield components and water productivity was achieved by D100 treatment with values of 113 cm plant height, 115 pods/plant, 14.4 g weight of 100 seeds and 0.62 kg/m3respectively. With the irrigation regime, protein content had a positive correlation while fat content had a negative correlation; the highest protein content was 28.75 and 28.20% achieved by S100 and D100, while the highest fats content was 22.91 and 22.63% achieved by D60 and S60. There is a positive correlation between the physiological properties and the irrigation regime; the highest physiological properties were germination ratio 98.3 and 96.7%, root length 8.7 and 7.33 mm, shoot length 1.98 and 1.87 mm, seedling dry weight 0.69 and 0.67 g and seed vigor index 117.9 and 110.8 achieved by D100 and S100.