INFLUENCE OF SEED AGE ON QUALITY, GERMINATION AND SEED HEALTH IN SOYBEANS

Due to its multiple uses: in human and animal nutrition but being also successfully used in rotations with the main cereal crops, soybean is one of the most valuable crops in the world. Seed germination can be influenced by a number of factors: genetic, technological, age of storage but also by the presence of pathogens inside or outside the seeds. Seeds infected with pathogens may have low storage capacity, low germination and weight, and low quality of oil and food. There are a number of pathogens that attack soybean seeds and can greatly affect the quality of the seeds. The most common pathogens are: Phomopsis sp., Cercospora kikuchii, Cercospora sojina, Colletotrichum sp., Pernospora manshurica but also a number of pathogens and secondary saprophytes, including Alternaria, Fusarium, Cladosporium and Penicillium (Telenko, 2018). The paper aimed to present the effects of seed age on soybean germination, fungal load and chemical composition. Seeds of Onix soybean variety, from 4 years (2017-2020) were stored in laboratory conditions and used in the experiment. Germination, chemical composition and also sanitary quality were significantly influenced by storage.