Soybean production in the system of organic agriculture is not very demanding, and this has been well documented both through experimental results and commercial production. However, one of the biggest problems in organic production is the lack of adequate pre-sowing treatments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of the electrostatic field. This is a physical treatment that was first used for seed treatment in the 18th century but has mostly been neglected since then. Seeds of five soybean genotypes with differently colored seed coats (yellow, green, dark green, brown, and black) were included in this study. The seeds were exposed to different values of direct current (DC) with the following voltages: 0 V (control), 3 V, 6 V, and 9 V, to which the seeds were exposed for 0 min (control), 1 min, and 3 min. After exposing the seeds to the electric field, the physiological properties of seeds and seedlings at the first stage of growth were evaluated. The results show that the effect of the electrostatic field on seed quality depends on the genotype, voltage, and exposure time. The application of DC can be a suitable method for improving seed germination and the initial growth of soybean seedlings. In addition, the results indicate that it is necessary to adjust the DC treatment (voltage and duration of exposure of seeds) to particular genotypes since inadequate treatments may reduce the quality of seeds.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of electrostatic fields on seed vigor, mean rate of germination and coefficient of velocity of germination of five soybean genotypes. Testing was conducted at the Novi Sad Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops on the seeds of five soybean varieties: Sava, NS 2024, NS 1347, NS 3127, and NS Blackstar. The seeds were exposed to different values of direct current (DC) of the following voltage: 0 V (control), 3 V, 6 V and 9 V, to which the seeds were exposed for 0 min (control), 1 min and 3 min. After exposing the seeds to the electric field, the vigour index (VI), mean rate of germination (MGR) and coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG). The results show that the effect of the electrostatic field on seed vigour, mean rate of germination and coefficient of velocity of germination depends on the genotype, voltage and exposure time. The application of DC can be a suitable method for improving vigour index (VI), mean rate of germination (MGR) and coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG). In addition, the results indicate that it is necessary to adjust the DC treatment (voltage and duration of exposure of seeds) to a particular genotype, since inadequate treatments may deteriorate the quality of seeds.             Keywords: electrostatic field, vigor index, MGR, CVG, soybean

The aim of this paper was to examine the influence of the electrostatic field on seeds of soybean (Glycine max L), vetch (Vicia spp. L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) which were selected at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. The DC voltage of 9V was used. The durations of seed treatment were 0 (control), 1, 2 and 3 minutes. The trial was set up as a randomized block design with four replications. 4x100 seeds of each variant and control (untreated seed) were treated. After treatment, seed quality was examined using a germination test (optimal temperature) and a cold test (low temperature). The results of the study showed that the effect of the electrostatic field on seed quality depended on the plant species, the time of seed treatment and the temperature conditions in which the seed germinated after treatment. The increase in germination energy ranged up to 18.18% in vetch, and a decrease of up to 12% was observed in chickpea. The application of the electrostatic field had a significantly greater impact on seeds that were exposed to low temperatures in the germination process after treatment. The increase in seed germination ranged up to 82.35% in chickpeas, and the decrease amounted to 92.68% in peas. In addition, the obtained results indicate that it is not possible to talk about the universal application of a certain duration of seed treatment.