Sensitivity of soybean leaf development to water deficits

Abstract. Drought effects on the final leaf area of individual leaves were hypothesized to depend on the leaf developmental stage at which drought occurred. To evaluate this hypothesis, final leaf area and cell number were measured for soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) leaves that were at different stages of development when single or cyclical drought treatment was imposed. Leaf emergence rate from the meristem, as depicted by changes in the plastochron index, was not as sensitive as leaf expansion to cyclical droughts. For leaf expansion, small leaves, once they emerged from the meristem, suffered larger decreases in growth than leaves undergoing rapid leaf area expansion. Decreases in final leaf area as a result of a cyclical drought were correlated with decreases in final cell number. Decreases resulting from a single 8-d drought were dependent on the age of the leaf at the time of drought, because small leaves were found to have proportionately larger decreases in final cell number and area than larger leaves. These results indicated that age-dependent leaf responses to drought are based on the relative activity of cell division and expansion at the time stress was imposed.     

Abscisic acid mimics effects of dehydration on area expansion and photosynthetic partitioning in young soybean leaves

Abstract. Leaf area expansion, photosynthetic carbon dioxide uptake and leaf dry mass accumulation were compared for expanding leaves of well-watered soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) plants, mildly dehydrated plants and well-watered plants treated with abscisic acid (ABA). Both ABA treatment and dehydration reduced area expansion in the light and over a 24 h period without decreasing the photosynthetic rates of expanding leaves. Dry mass accumulation during the light was less in ABA-treated and water-stressed leaves than in control leaves, with no differences among treatments in leaf mass per unit of area. ABA treatment and water stress both increased export of carbon from expanding leaves in the light. ABA applied near the end of the light period also increased export of carbon during the following dark period. However, it is unlikely that decreased availability of photosynthate caused slow expansion in the ABA and dehydration treatments, because expansion rates were not slowed in plants kept in dim light, even though photosynthetic rates and dry mass accumulation rates were greatly reduced. The data suggest that ABA may mediate the effects of mild dehydration on leaf area expansion and partitioning of photosynthate.     

Leaf wall yield threshold of field-grown soybean measured by vapour pressure psychrometry

Abstract. Wall-yield threshold pressures of growing leaves obtained from field-grown soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) plants were measured in vapour pressure psychrometers. The plants were grown either under well-watered or water deficit conditions. Wall-yield threshold pressures were measured at night when turgor pressure was expected to exceed the wall-yield threshold pressure both in drought-stressed and well-watered growing leaves. Wall-yield threshold pressure increased as the area of the growing leaves increased in both treatments. After an 8-d drought, wall-yield threshold pressure in leaves which had recently emerged from the meristem was 0.50 MPa, while in well-watered leaves these values ranged from 0.03 to 0.23 MPa. Upon release from drought, wall-yield threshold pressure rapidly returned to unstressed values.     

Insufficient nitrogen supply from symbiotic fixation reduces seasonal crop growth and nitrogen mobilization to seed in highly productive soybean crops

Nitrogen (N) supply can limit the yields of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in highly productive environments. To explore the physiological mechanisms underlying this limitation, seasonal changes in N dynamics, aboveground dry matter (ADM) accumulation, leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of absorbed radiation (fAPAR) were compared in crops relying only on biological N₂ fixation and available soil N (zero-N treatment) versus crops receiving N fertilizer (full-N treatment). Experiments were conducted in seven high-yield environments without water limitation, where crops received optimal management. In the zero-N treatment, biological N₂ fixation was not sufficient to meet the N demand of the growing crop from early in the season up to beginning of seed filling. As a result, crop LAI, growth, N accumulation, radiation-use efficiency and fAPAR were consistently higher in the full-N than in the zero-N treatment, leading to improved seed set and yield. Similarly, plants in the full-N treatment had heavier seeds with higher N concentration because of greater N mobilization from vegetative organs to seeds. Future yield gains in high-yield soybean production systems will require an increase in biological N₂ fixation, greater supply of N from soil or fertilizer, or alleviation of the trade-off between these two sources of N in order to meet the plant demand.     

Emergence and seedling growth of soybean cultivars and maturity groups under salinity

Soybean is an important agricultural crop and has, among its genotypes, a relatively wide variation in salt tolerance. As measured by vegetative growth and yield, however, the achievement or failure of a high emergence ratio and seedling establishment in saline soils can have significant economic implications in areas where soil salinity is a potential problem for soybean. This study was conducted to determine the effects of salinity, variety and maturation rate on soybean emergence and seedling growth. Included in the study were the variety ‘Manokin’; four near-isogenic sibling lines of the variety ‘Lee’ belonging to maturity groups IV, V, VI and VII; and the variety ‘Essex’ and two of its near-isogenic related lines representing maturity groups V, VI and VII, respectively. Field plots were salinized with sodium chloride and calcium chloride salts prior to planting. The soybeans were irrigated with furrow irrigation which redistributed the salts towards the tail ends of the field plots. Elevated soil salinity near the tail ends of the field significantly reduced soybean emergence rate, shoot height and root length. No significant reduction was found for emergence or seedling growth of variety ‘Manokin’ when the electrical conductivity of soil solution extract (ECe) was less than 3 dS m⁻¹. Soybean emergence and seedling growth was significantly reduced when soil ECe reached about 11 dS m⁻¹. Maturity groups V and VII of variety ‘Lee’ or V and VI of ‘Essex’ appeared to be more sensitive to salinity stress than other maturity groups. Salt tolerance of different genotypes and maturity groups should be considered, among other limiting factors, in minimizing salinity effects on soybean growth. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Photosynthesis in flashing light in soybean leaves grown in different conditions. II. Lightfleck utilization efficiency

Leaves of soybean plants grown in contrasting light and nutrient availability conditions were exposed to constant and to flashing light regimes with lightflecks of different frequencies, durations and photon flux density (PFD). The lightfleck characteristics were selected to be representative of the range of variation found for sunflecks in a soybean canopy. CO₂ fixation rates were measured using a fast-response gas-exchange apparatus. The net CO₂ fixation due to 1-s-duration lightflecks was 1·3 times higher than predicted from steady-state measurements in constant light at the lightfleck and background PFD. This lightfleck utilization efficiency (LUE) was somewhat higher at a high than at a low frequency of one second lightflecks. LUE in flashing light with very short lightflecks (0·2s) and single 1 s lightflecks was as high as 2, but decreased sharply with increasing duration of lightflecks. This decrease occurred because CO₂ fixation rates during lightflecks were constrained by carbon metabolism and induction limitations, and because the contribution of post-illumination CO₂ fixation to total CO₂ fixation decreased with increased duration of lightflecks. LUE increased with increased PFD during the lightflecks, particularly in leaves from plants grown in high-light, high-nutrient conditions. Saturation PFDs were much higher in flashing light than in constant light. Only small differences in LUE were apparent between leaves from the three growth conditions.     

Photosynthesis in flashing light in soybean leaves grown in different conditions. I. Photosynthetic induction state and regulation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity

The photosynthetic induction state under conditions of different lightfleck frequencies or durations, or different shade periods was studied in soybean leaves in order to examine how it might limit utilization of sunflecks in leaf canopies. Induction following an increase in photon flux density (PFD) from strongly limiting to saturating PFDs exhibited two phases; a fast-inducing one, requiring about 1 min and a slow one, requiring up to 60 min for completion. Transfer of fully induced leaves to low light resulted in a rapid decrease in the fast-inducing component, a slower decrease in the slow-inducing component and an even slower decrease in stomatal conductance. Therefore, the decreases in extent of induction appeared to be due to biochemical factors and not to stomatal closure. Under flashing light regimes consisting of 1-s lightflecks given at different frequencies for long periods, a constant induction state was achieved, the measure of induction state increased with the frequency of the lightflecks. This constant induction state also depended on the growth conditions, with shade leaves having a higher value than those grown at high light at any particular lightfleck frequency. The measure of induction state was mostly lower in flashing light as compared to constant light of the same mean PFD, particularly in leaves with a low light saturation point and in short lightflecks. Initial activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rubisco) were also higher in continuous light and were highly correlated with the measure of induction state. The rapid decrease in extent of induction of soybean leaves during shade periods is an important limitation to the ability of the leaves to respond to light increases similar to those occurring with sunflecks. At least part of the limitation on carbon assimilation during sunflecks due to photosynthetic induction is based on regulation of rubisco activity.     

盐磷耦合胁迫下大豆的生长和钠、磷离子长距离运输

以2个耐盐性和磷效率有差异的大豆品种为材料,采用水培方法,探讨盐分与缺磷耦合胁迫对大豆生长和钠、磷离子长距离运输影响的结果表明:(1)盐分和低磷胁迫对大豆生长有交互作用,磷浓度相对较高(2MMOL·L-1)时大豆耐盐性降低;(2)钠由木质部的向顶部运输增加,钠在韧皮部的再分配增多;(3)盐胁迫下磷在木质部的运输能力提高,韧皮部中磷的再分配受影响不大;(4)磷盐互作对大豆生长的影响在品种之间无差异。     

Development of protein bodies and accumulation of carbohydrates in a soybean (Leguminosae) shriveled seed mutant

The soybean seed mutant T311, when grown under specific environmental conditions, produces shriveled seed. This research investigated changes in development of protein bodies and accumulation of carbohydrates during seed development by comparing the mutant with P2180 seeds. The shriveled seeds contained larger protein bodies but fewer protein bodies per cell than round seeds. Protein bodies in T311 seeds included more dispersed crystals and less globoid regions than P2180 seeds. The elemental compositions of the crystals and of whole seeds in T311 were different from that in P2180 seeds. Starch breakdown was reduced with concomitant lower soluble sugar content in T311 seeds after the D11 stage (10.0-11.9 mm long seeds). The reduced starch breakdown and lowered soluble sugar content were consistent with lower a-amylase activity and earlier and greater water loss in T311 seeds. Changes in development of protein bodies and accumulation of carbohydrates were associated with the development of the shriveled seeds.     

缺硼对大豆根瘤结构和功能的影响

在营养液培养条件下以普通结结瘤大豆Ｂｒａｇｇｃｖ．「Ｇｌｙｃｉｎｅｍａｘ（Ｌ．）Ｍｅｒｒ」及其超结瘤突变体ｎｔｓ３８２为实验材料,运用光学显微方法研究了硼对大豆根瘤结构的影响,并测定了根瘤固氮酶活性结果表明,缺硼使根瘤结构受到严重破坏,并使固氮酶活性显著下降,缺硼使根瘤结构受到破坏是导致固氮酶活性下降的可能原因。     

UV-B辐射对8个大豆品种种子萌发率和 幼苗生长的影响

在生长房5种(暗处、可见光、低、中、高强度紫外线-B)处理下,研究了8个大豆品种的种子萌发率和萌发后幼苗的生长状况。结果表明,暗处种子萌发率高于自然光和UV-B辐射的种子。UV-B辐射增强对大豆种子的萌发率没有显著影响,仅使部分品种的最大萌发率降低和导致部分品种达到最大萌发率的时间延长。幼苗的生长对增强的UV-B辐射非常敏感。使大部分品种的胚根变短增粗,这可能是植物激素作用的结果。大豆的叶绿素a、叶绿素b和总叶绿素含量明显受到UV-B辐射的抑制。UV-B作用能促进类黄酮在幼苗中的积累,紫外吸收色素的增设有利于提高对UV-B的抵抗力。UV-B辐射的这种效应及大豆品种间的差异在自然情况下会产生深远的生物学和生态学意义     

连作障碍因素对大豆养分吸收和固氮作用的影响

采用分室装置,利用不同孔径的膜研究大豆连作条件下,化感物质、土壤有害生物和大豆胞囊线虫等因素不断累加对植株生长、生物固氮作用和矿质养分吸收和分配的影响。结果表明,随着各因素不断累加,植株的地上部、根系和根瘤干重逐渐降低;除Ca元素外,植株组织的P、K等矿质元素单位含量下降,吸收总量下降,地上部分配的养分比例下降。在化感物质和土壤有害生物因素的基础上接种线虫,对生物固氮和矿质养 分的吸收和分配影响明显。     

Effects of drought on nitrogen fixation in soybean root nodules

Soybean plants [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] were grown in silica sand and were drought stressed for a 4 week period during reproductive development and without any mineral N supply in order to maximize demand for fixed nitrogen. A strain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum that forms large quantities of polysaccharide in nodules was used to determine whether or not the supply of reduced carbon to bacteroids limits nitrogenase activity. A depression of 30–40% in nitrogen content in leaves and pods of stressed plants indicated a marked decline in nitrogen fixation activity during the drought period. A 50% increase in the accumulation of bacterial polysaccharide in nodules accompanied this major decrease in nitrogen fixation activity and this result indicates that the negative impact of drought on nodules was not due to a depression of carbon supply to bacteroids. The drought treatment resulted in a statistically significant increase in N concentration in leaves and pods. Because N concentration and chlorophyll concentration in leaves were not depressed, there was no evidence of nitrogen deficiency in drought‐stressed plants, and this result indicates that the negative impact of drought on nodule function was not the cause of the depression of shoot growth. At the end of the drought period, the concentration of carbohydrates, amino nitrogen, and ureides was significantly increased in nodules on drought‐stressed plants. The overall results support the view that, under drought conditions, nitrogen fixation activity in nodules was depressed because demand for fixed N to support growth was lower.     

大豆查尔酮合成酶(CHS)基因的克隆、表达及其在雪莲提取液中的代谢产物分析

以中国大豆为材料,利用PCR方法克隆查尔酮合成酶（Chalcone synthase,CHS）全基因,采用SOE法克隆得到去掉内含子的查尔酮合成酶基因,核酸序列分析表明,该基因编码区长1170bp,编码390个氨基酸,与已报道的CHS的cDNA序列同源率达到97%。构建pET-GMCHS工程表达质粒,通过大肠杆菌E.coli BL21（DE3）高效表达系统表达大豆CHS。 通过12% SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析表明,获得了分子量在42.9KD的一条蛋白质特异表达带。液相色谱分析大肠杆菌E.coli BL21（DE3）高效表达系统在雪莲提取液中的代谢产物,样品和空白对照样对比,样品在273nm,3.0min出现新的吸收峰,质谱分析结果表明CHS利用雪莲提取液中代谢中间产物合成了新的黄酮类物质。     

Responses of soybean to oxygen deficiency and elevated root-zone carbon dioxide concentration

Root flooding is damaging to the growth of crop plants such as soybean (Glycine max L.). Field flooding for 3 d often results in leaf chlorosis, defoliation, cessation of growth and plant death. These effects have been widely attributed solely to a lack of oxygen in the root-zone. However, an additional damaging factor may be CO(2), which attains levels of 30 % (v/v) of total dissolved gases. Accordingly, the effects of root-zone CO(2) on oxygen-deficient soybean plants were investigated in hydroponic culture. Soybean plants are shown to be very tolerant of excess water and anaerobiosis. No oxygen (100 % N(2) gas) and low oxygen (non-aerated) treatments for 14 d had no effect on soybean survival or leaf greenness, but plants became severely chlorotic and stunted when the roots were exposed to no oxygen together with CO(2) concentrations similar to those in flooded fields (equilibrium concentrations of 30 %). When root-zone CO(2) was increased to 50 %, a quarter of soybean plants died. Those plants that survived showed severe symptoms of chlorosis, necrosis and root death. In contrast, rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants were not affected by the combination of no oxygen and elevated root-zone CO(2.) A concentration of 50 % CO(2) did not affect rice plant survival or leaf colour. These results suggest that the high susceptibility of soybean to soil flooding, compared with that of rice, is an outcome of its greater sensitivity to CO(2).     

大豆种质资源SRAP分子标记中的引物筛选

以113个大豆栽培品种和20个野生品种为材料,从288对引物组合中筛选出12对多态性丰富、条带清晰、可重复性好的SRAP引物组合。用筛选出的12对引物组合对大豆品种进行PCR扩增,获得了带型丰富和清晰可辨的DNA的PAGE指纹图谱;共扩增出251条谱带,其中多态性条带220条,多态性谱带比率为87.6%,平均每个引物扩增出18.3条谱带。结果显示,所筛选出的12对引物组合可以有效的应用于大豆种质资源的SRAP分析。     

Nuclear transport factor GmNTF2B-1 enhances soybean drought tolerance by interacting with oxidoreductase GmOXR17 to reduce reactive oxygen species content

Drought is a critical abiotic stressor that modulates soybean yield. Drought stress drastically enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and maintaining ROS content above a cytostatic level but below a cytotoxic level is essential for normal biology processes in plants. At present, most of the known ROS-scavenging systems are in the cytoplasm, and the mechanism of ROS regulation in the nucleus remains unclear. GmNTF2B-1 is a member of the IV subgroup in the nucleus transporter family. Its expression is localized to the roots and is stimulated by drought stress. In this study, the overexpression of GmNTF2B-1 was found to improve the drought tolerance of transgenic soybean by influencing the ROS content in plants. An oxidoreductase, GmOXR17, was identified to interact with GmNTF2B-1 in the nucleus through the yeast two-hybrid, coimmunoprecipitation and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. The drought tolerance of GmOXR17 transgenic soybean was similar to that of GmNTF2B-1. GmNTF2B-1 was expressed in both cytoplasm and nucleus, and GmOXR17 transferred from the cytoplasm to the nucleus under drought stress. The overexpression of GmNTF2B-1 enhanced the nuclear entry of GmOXR17, and the overexpression of GmNTF2B-1 or GmOXR17 could decrease the H₂O₂ content and oxidation level in the nucleus. In conclusion, the interaction between GmNTF2B-1 and GmOXR17 may enhance the nuclear entry of GmOXR17, thereby enhancing nuclear ROS scavenging to improve the drought resistance of soybean.     

Effects of seismic stress on the vegetative growth of Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Wells II

Abstract. Vegetative plants of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Wells II] grown in a greenhouse and agitated periodically on a gyratory shaker had shorter stems, less leaf area, and lower leaf and plant dry weight than did undisturbed greenhouse-grown (GG) plants after 16 d of treatment. Outdoor-grown (OG) plants, which were subjected to additional environmental stresses including ultraviolet radiation, wind loading, and uncontrolled temperature and humidity fluctuations, were smaller and had less dry weight than GG controls, but growth was not inhibited further by gyratory shaking. Periodic shaking of GG soybeans resulted in the same plant and leaf dry weight as for OG soybeans. Response of GG plants to mechanical stress depended on light intensity, with minimum growth reduction occurring under full light (FL) level, and maximum growth reduction occurring under lower light levels (24–45% FL). Reduction in dry weight gain due to mechanical stress corresponded to a decrease in relative growth rate (RGR). Decreases in net assimilation rate and leaf area ratio contributed equally to the lower RGR of shaken plants, indicating that seismic stress inhibits dry weight accumulation by decreasing both the photosynthetic efficiency and the assimilatory surface of soybean.     

Carbon dioxide concentration at night affects translocation from soybean leaves

Studies have indicated that the concentration of carbon dioxide [CO2] during the dark period may influence plant dry matter accumulation. It is often suggested that these effects on growth result from effects of [CO2] on rates of respiration, but responses of respiration to [CO2] remain controversial, and connections between changes in respiration rate and altered growth rate have not always been clear. The present experiments tested whether translocation, a major consumer of energy from respiration in exporting leaves, was sensitive to [CO2]. Nineteen-day-old soybean plants grown initially at a constant [CO2] of 350 micromol mol(-1) were exposed to three consecutive nights with a [CO2] of 220-1400 micromol mol(-1), with a daytime [CO2] of 350 micromol mol(-1). Change in dry mass of the individual second, third and fourth trifoliate leaves over the 3-d period was determined, along with rates of respiration and photosynthesis of second leaves, measured by net CO2 exchange. Translocation was determined from mass balance for second leaves. Additional experiments were conducted where the [CO2] around individual leaves was controlled separately from that of the rest of the plant. Results indicated that low [CO2] at night increased both respiration and translocation and elevated [CO2] decreased both processes, to similar relative extents. The effect of [CO2] during the dark on the change in leaf mass over 3 d was largest in second leaves, where the change in mass was about 50% greater at 1400 micromol mol(-1) CO2 than at 220 micromol mol(-1) CO2. The response of translocation to [CO2] was localized in individual leaves. Results indicated that effects of [CO2] on net carbon dioxide exchange rate in the dark either caused or reflected a change in a physiologically important process which is known to depend on energy supplied by respiration. Thus, it is unlikely that the observed effects of [CO2] on respiration were artefacts of the measurement process in this case.