Responses of Soybean Cultivars to Excessive Soil Moisture Imposed at Different Growth Stages

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] crops, grown in a rice soybean rotation, can suffer when grown in soil with excessive moisture. The objective of this work were to determine the reduction in growth and yield, responses of vegetative and reproductive growth of soybean to excessive soil moisture achieved by prolonged irrigation. Responses of different cultivars were determined at growth stages from V6 to R8 to clarify the sensitive growth stages or characteristics to excessive soil moisture. Cultivar differences in response to excessive soil moisture condition were conspicuous in seed dry weight and harvest index (HI) but not in the response of seed number or pod number per plant. The timing of irrigation causing the condition of excessive soil moisture influenced the vegetative or reproductive traits. Soybean plants were more affected by irrigation commencing at the pre-flowering than at the post-flowering stage. Post-flowering irrigation did not reduce growth of vegetative organs significantly; in fact the growth of stems and leaves was facilitated by the prolonged irrigation commencing at flowering. Differences between cultivar response to prolonged irrigation were assumed to relate to the reduced amount of assimilates translocated to the reproductive organ.