Different times of melatonin application and use of field phenotyping in soybean plants under abiotic stress conditions.

• Grant number: 25/03954-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 16, 2025
• End date: October 15, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Ana Cláudia Pacheco Santos
• Grantee: Diogo Totti Silva
• Supervisor: Krishna Jagadish
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Texas Tech University (TTU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/07721-0 - Synergism of melatonin and nickel in germination and soybean plants subjected to high temperature., BP.IC

Abstract

In recent years, the rise in global temperature, combined with the growing global population, has put pressure on agriculture, which plays a vital role in ensuring global food security. However, global temperature increases, and water scarcity have negatively impacted soybean production, interfering with its productive potential and becoming a critical factor in its development. This phenomenon triggers a process of flower and pod abortion in plants, directly affecting the final yield. Application of melatonin (MEL), a biomolecule that acts to mitigate the effects of stress, stimulating the photosynthetic system and increasing sugar levels, can be an important ally for high productivity, reducing the abortion of flowers and pods. However, abort measurements need to be innovated to increase accuracy in the field. This research aims to evaluate different timings (V3/V4, R1 and V3/V4+R1) of melatonin application to determine the most effective phenological state against abortion, using a mobile imaging platform associated with artificial intelligence that will detect soybean pods and flowers. The experiment follows a completely randomized factorial design (4 × 2), consisting of four melatonin application timings and two irrigation regimes (80 and 30 % ET), with three replications per treatment. The project aligns with the "2030 Agenda" of the "United Nations" to promote the "Sustainable Development Goals." This study will be conducted at the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences of Texas Tech University (TTU), in Lubbock, Texas, USA, as a continuation of FAPESP project no. 2024/07721-0, with field experiments carried out at TTU's New Deal Farm.