Abstract
Introduction
Plant growth-promoting bacteria are a promising tool for enhancing crop productivity while reducing dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs. This study evaluated the effects of the microbial consortia bioproduct inoculant Agrovive Biologicals
®
Soyfx
®
, applied as either a seed treatment or foliar spray, on soybean plant density, pod development, seed production, seed mass, and the accuracy of automated seed counting.
Methods
The field experiment was conducted during the 2018 growing season under standard agronomic management. Three treatments were compared: untreated control, foliar application at the V2 growth stage (2.34 L ha
-1
in 93.5 L ha
-1
water), and seed treatment (1.30 mL kg
-1
seed). Yield components were assessed through fixed-area sampling, pod classification, seed counting (manual and automated), and seed-size determination. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests following assessment of normality.
Results
Seed treatment significantly reduced plant density from 32.6 to 23.2 plantsm
-2
(−29%; p 6.35 mm increased from 986.4 to 1693.2 m
-2
(+70%; p -1
), representing a 31% increase over the control (2.7 t ha
-1
; p -1
; p
Discussion
These results indicate that pre-sowing seed application of Agrovive Biologicals
®
Soyfx
®
improves soybean yield components and seed quality, providing an effective low-input alternative to foliar application.