To ensure higher levels of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and sanity of soybean seeds, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of application of different fungicides on the survival of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soybean seeds and its effects on plant nodulation and crop grain yield. Survival evaluations were performed by using the most probable number-MPN (direct and indirect process). Experiments were carried out under greenhouse conditions in pots containing non-sterile soil, as well as under field conditions in clayey Rhodic Hapludox. The obtained results showed that the rhizobium strains can be affected by certain fungicides applied to soybean seeds. In the study conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions with native forest soil, there was a negative effect of fungicide application, reducing the number and the dry matter of nodules. For the field evaluation, in soils with established population of Bradyrhizobium japonicum / B. elkanii, nodulation and yield of soybean grains were not affected by the different tested fungicides.
biological nitrogen fixation; Glycine max (L.) Merril
