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Effects of biopreparations on soybean yield and seed quality under hydrothermal stress in organic farming systems

Under organic farming conditions and increasing hydrothermal variability, the development of biological approaches to enhance soybean productivity and ensure high seed quality is of growing importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined application of biopreparations with different functional roles – arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and phytohormonal regulators – in shaping soybean yield and seed biochemical composition under variable weather conditions. Field experiments were conducted in 2022–2024 in the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine using the early-maturing soybean cultivar Khorol under an organic farming system. The experimental design included eight treatment variants: control, Profix, Violar, Mycofriend, and their various combinations. Seed protein and oil contents were determined by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Physiological and biochemical parameters – relative water content (RWC) in leaves, stomatal conductance (gs), abscisic acid (ABA), and malondialdehyde (MDA) – were assessed at the flowering stage (BBCH 61). Statistical analysis included analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test, Pearson correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). The combined application of all three biopreparations was the most effective, resulting in yields of 2.96–3.57 t/ha, which exceeded the control by 40.6–59.1 %. The increase in yield was primarily associated with a higher number of seeds per plant (up to 130), whereas the thousand-seed weight showed only minor variation. An increase in seed protein content (by up to 5.7 percentage points) and oil content (up to 19.3 %) was also observed. Under the drier conditions of 2024, combined treatments contributed to maintaining higher plant water status (up to 91.9 %), reducing MDA content (by 47.7 % compared to the control), and decreasing ABA accumulation (by 34.1 %). A strong positive correlation was found between RWC and yield (r = 0.92), whereas a strong negative correlation was observed between ABA content and stomatal conductance (r = −0.98). The results demonstrate that the integrated use of biopreparations in organic soybean cultivation enhances productivity stability and improves seed nutritional quality under contrasting hydrothermal conditions.

Key words: Glycine max (L.), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, phytohormonal regulators, protein content, seed oil content, relative water content, stomatal conductance, abscisic acid, malondialdehyde.

Chaika Т. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5980-7517


Korotkova І. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0577-9634


Liashenko V. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0177-6209


Lotysh I. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0373-6630


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AGROBIOLOGY №1 2026