Density of plants and the agronomic performance of soybean/ Densidade de plantas e desempenho produtivo da soja

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) is a species in the Fabaceae family, with the center of origin and domestication in the Asian continent. The area sowed increases with each crop in Brazil since it was introduced in the country in the twentieth century. As a commodity of great importance in food and feed, increasing crop productivity is a constant challenge. For this, we must observe the behavior of the plants concerning the yield components, such as the number of plants in the area, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod and grain weight, which are determinant for the productive potential of a crop. The plant population in the area, for example, can influence various agronomic variables, and thus influence crop productivity. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of plant density of the TMG 7161 RR genotype on soybean agronomic performance. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 4 treatments and 6 replications. The treatments were 4 plant densities of genotype TMG 7161 RR (22, 29, 33 and 44 plants m-2). The variables analyzed were the main stem diameter, first insertion height, final plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, one thousand grain weight and yield per plant and per area. Increasing plant density in the area provides larger plants with the greater height from the first pod insertion. Yield per soybean plant is not affected by plant density, however grain yield per area increases linearly as plant density increases to 44 plants/m2.