SOYBEAN GROWTH RESPONSES TO ENHANCED LEVELS OF ULTRAVIOLET-B RADIATION UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

Soybean (Glycine max L.] Merr. cv. Essex) was grown in an unshaded greenhouse under three levels of biologically effective ultraviolet-B (UV-B_BE) radiation (effective daily dose: 0, 11.5 and 13.6 kJ m^–2) for 91 days. Plants were harvested at regular intervals beginning 10 days after germination until reproductive maturity. Mathematical growth analysis revealed that the effects of UV-B radiation varied with plant growth stage. The transition period between vegetative and reproductive growth was the most sensitive to UV-B radiation. Intermediate levels of UV-B had deleterious effects on plant height, leaf area, and total plant dry weight at late vegetative and reproductive stages of development. Specific leaf weight increased during vegetative growth but was unaffected by UV-B during reproductive growth stages. Relative growth, net assimilation, and stem elongation rates were decreased by UV-B radiation during vegetative and early reproductive growth stages. Variation in plant responses may be due in part to changes in microclimate within the plant canopy or to differences in repair or protection mechanisms at differing developmental stages.