Effect of foliar zinc application on yield, seed quality and seed vigor of two soybean cultivars under water deficit

In order to study the effects of water deficit stress and zinc foliar application on yield, seed quality, seed vigor and zinc content of different organs of soybean cultivars, an experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design arrangement as a split factorial with three replications. Main factor was three levels of drought stress (non stress, water stress in vegetative growth stage (S1) and water stress in flowering stage (S2)) and subordinate factor was combination of foliar zinc application and cultivar. Foliar zinc application in three levels (non foliar application, water foliar application and zinc sulfate (5000 ppm)) foliar application and two cultivars (L17 and Clarck 63) were used in this experiment. Results showed that traits were affected by treatments. Water deficit stress in both vegetative and reproductive stages cause to decrease in the yield, zinc content of organs, seed protein and oil percentage and seed vigor, but hard seed percentage were increased to 189 and 472 in S1 and S2, respectively. Clark 63 was desirable under water deficit stress. The highest yield reduction was observed for stress treatment at the reproductive growth stage. Zinc sulfate foliar application increased the yield, zinc content of seed, seed protein percentage and seedling vigor 34, 26, 5 and 38 percent, respectively, but decreased seed oil percentage and hard seed percentage 4 and 58, respectively. Zinc foliar application was more effective in yield of increment L17 than Clarck 63.