Physiological Traits Contributing to Differential Canopy Wilting in Soybean under Drought

Delayed wilting is observed in a few unusual soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes, but the reasons and importance of this trait for conferring agronomic drought tolerance are poorly understood. We hypothesized that soybean genotypes with delayed wilting conserve soil moisture by restricting transpiration and that this would be reflected in decreased radiation use efficiency (RUE) and/or improved water use efficiency (WUE). Water conserved when soil moisture was plentiful would be available later in the season when drought is usually more severe. Irrigated field experiments in eight environments compared RUE of genotypes known to wilt differently during drought. In addition, we measured stomatal conductance, carbon isotope discrimination (CID), volumetric soil-moisture content, stomatal density, and canopy temperature depression. In six of the eight environments, slow-wilting genotypes generally had lower RUE than fast-wilting genotypes, which is consistent with our hypothesis. Three of four slow-wilting genotypes had higher soil moisture immediately before irrigation than fast-wilting genotypes, which is also consistent with the hypothesis. Genotypic differences in CID (a proxy for WUE) were present but were not consistently related with slow wilting. No genotypic differences were detected in stomatal conductance or canopy temperature. These results suggest that multiple mechanisms involving RUE and WUE could result in soil-water conservation in these diverse genotypes.