Semester of Graduation

Spring

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Disease pressure and other environmental stresses, especially increasing temperature and drought incidence, accompanied with global climatic change have presented hard challenges to Louisiana soybean producers. The objective of this study was to explore the efficacy of seed priming techniques as new alternatives to improve soybean crop protection to reduce the amount of yield losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, five chemicals were used as priming agents at different concentrations (0.1 mM, 1 mM, and 10 mM) to evaluate their effectiveness in enhancing disease tolerance and yield in soybeans. A seed priming procedure was developed by partially soaking the soybean seeds in the priming solution for four hours, followed by drying them for eight hours and storing them for less than ten days. The results showed that soybean seeds primed with salicylic acid and benzothiadiazole at concentrations of 1 mM exhibited stronger defense systems against the attack of Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA and AG-4 compared to non-treated plants under greenhouse conditions. Furthermore, seed priming techniques also led to a significant improvement in yield under field conditions when compared to non-treated plants. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that seed priming can effectively improve disease resistance and increase yield in soybean plants. The use of priming techniques could be a valuable alternative to enhance crop protection in soybean production, helping Louisiana producers to overcome the challenges presented by disease pressure and climate change.

Date

4-5-2024

Committee Chair

Ham, Jong

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Available for download on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

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