Agronomic performance of soybean treated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

The development of practices that maintain or increases soybean yield can increase the profitability of this crop. In this context, the use of microorganism-based products in crops has been extensively studied. Among the species, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has shown significant potential for agronomic use due to its ability to control phytoparasitic microorganisms and its effects in promoting plant growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of B. amyloliquefaciens application on soybean. Fields experiments were conducted at four sites. The experimental design used was randomized block design, with six treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of seed treatment with B. amyloliquefaciens strain MBI600 (Integral II SC)-based product at 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mL c.p. 100 kg-1 of seeds, plus a control without treatment. The variables evaluated were plant stand, phytotoxicity, plant height, root and shoot dry mass, number of nodules and crop yield. Increasing doses of the B. amyloliquefaciens-based product promote an increase in all variables related to crop development. All doses of the B. amyloliquefaciens-based product provided an increase in soybean yield compared to the control. The dose that produces the maximum agronomic efficiency was 15 mL c.p. 100 kg-1 of seeds.   Key words: Biological control, Bacillus subtilis, Glycine max, growth promoters, seed treatment.