Relative cantribution of the seed coat, cotyledons and embryo for total seed dry matter of soybean.

Abstract

Seeds of soybean cultivars, Ivorá, Década, BR4, BR1 and Cobb were used in order to determine the relative contribution of the seed coat, cotyledons and embryo for the total seed dry matter. On the average of the five cultivars, the cotyledons, seed coat, and embryo constituted 90,2%, 7,3% and 2,5% of the seed dry matter, respectively, these three seed components varied among cultivars. The relation cotyledons/embryo showed that Década has, in relation to the other cultivar, less seed reserves for each embryo unit.