Physiological quality and lignin content in the coat seeds of conventional and RR transgenic soybean submitted to different harvest periods

One has raised the hypothesis that the RR soybean cultivars posses lignin contents higher than those of the conventional ones. The present work was conducted with the purpose of evaluating the physiological quality and lignin content in the coat of the conventional and RR soybean seeds collected in three times in Lavras-MG. To that end, the seeds collected at stages R7, R8 and after 20 days of collection delay (R8+20) were submitted to the tests for evaluation of the physiological quality and lignin content. The evaluated conventional and RR cultivars were : BRS 133 vs BRS 245 RR, BRS 134 vs BRS 247 RR, BRS Conquista vs BRS Valiosa RR, BRS Celeste vs BRS Baliza RR and Jatai vs BRS Silvania RR. The tests of 1000-seed weight, germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, mechanical injury, emergence velocity index, germination after water seed soaking and lignin content in the coat seeds were performed. With the exception of the lignin content in the coat seeds for the contrast Jata vs Silvania RR, no differences between the RR and conventional materials were observed, the RR cultivar having presented results superior to those of the conventional one. Nevertheless, there was behavioral difference among the cultivars as to the tolerance to harvest delay. Significant reduction was observed in evaluated germination percentage and vigor of seeds with the collection delay.