Yield potential of modern soybean cultivars under high and low input levels

The objective of this work was to evaluate the grain yield potential of modern soybean (Glycine max) cultivars subjected to high- and low-input management levels on different sowing dates, in the southwestern region of the state of Parana, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 crop seasons in the municipality of Itapejara D'Oeste. Five soybean cultivars (BMX Zeus IPRO, BMX Ativa RR, BMX Lanca IPRO, NS 5445 IPRO, and NA 5909 RG) were evaluated in four environments formed by the combination of input management levels (high and low) and sowing dates (first and second). The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replicates. The evaluated traits were: grain yield potential (kg ha(-1)), in the R5 phenological stage; and grain yield (kg ha(-1)) and its components, in the R8 stage. Cultivar, sowing date, and input management are determinant for maximizing grain yield potential. In the first sowing date, in October, the BMX Zeus IPRO cultivar shows a better response to the high level management, with a higher yield potential in the R5 stage (19,682 kg ha(-1)) and a higher grain yield (8,248 kg ha(-1)), whereas NA 5909 RG shows the best results with the low input management.