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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Chemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324203
Title: Elevated temperature intensity, timing, and duration of exposure affect soybean node numbers and internode elongation

Author
item Zhang, Lingxiao
item Allen Jr, Leon
item BOOTE, KENNETH - University Of Florida
item HAUSER, BERNARD - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: With the potential of climate change, particularly increased temperatures, the effects on crop yield and quality are a serious concern. In soybean, the ultimate effects of climate change are decreased yield and seed quality with the advent of increased temperatures. In this study, ARS scientists at Gainesville FL evaluated the effect of long-term high temperatures on soybean morphology, development and yield when conditions were applied at difference growth stages. The timing of the high temperature treatment was critical to the internode distance,ultimate plant height and yield. Results of this study indicated that management (such as temperature control) of a greenhouse can be critical for greenhouse-based research as well as for commercial production.

Technical Abstract: A study was conducted in a polycarbonate greenhouse at Gainesville, FL USA to investigate how an indeterminate soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) cultivar, Maverick, responded to supra-optimal temperatures, SOT, (day/night of 34/26, 38/30, and 42/34 °C) in comparison to an optimum growth temperature (30/22 °C). Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of temperature intensity, timing, and duration of SOT on soybean node number and internode elongation. At the optimum temperature, the soybean plants grown in the polycarbonate greenhouse were taller compared to field grown plants. When plants were grown under continuous SOT applied soon after sowing or at initial flowering, the length of SOT-affected individual internodes decreased, while the number of nodes increased. The intensity of the SOT treatment had significant effects on plant height with a direct relationship to node number and inverse relationship to internode length. Timing of SOT treatment played an important role on final plant height. When SOT treatment was applied during the beginning of flowering stage (R1-R2) or earlier, more nodes were produced and the length of affected internodes was decreased. When the SOT was imposed later at reproductive stage R5+ just before the beginning of seed fill, effects on node numbers and internode lengths were minimal. Short-term (10-d) duration of SOT applied at four stages from V3 to R5+ did not affect final mean numbers of nodes or mean mainstem lengths significantly. Possible mechanisms of supra-optimal temperature effects on soybean internode elongation and node number (internode number) are discussed. Results of this study indicated that management (such as temperature control) of a greenhouse can be critical for greenhouse-based research and for commercial production also.