There's little doubt that different soybean varieties
respond differently to prolonged flooding during the growing
season. U of A researchers have found that some varieties
are more tolerant than others to excess water and that
plants may be more tolerant to flooding at some stages
of growth than others.
U of A Agronomist Lanny Ashlock says, "We've tried
to build upon the basic research done by Don Scott and
others on the effects of prolonged flooding. From 1995
to 1997, we evaluated about 50 commercial varieties on
a Crowley silt loam soil at the Pine Tree Branch Experiment
Station and on Sharkey clay at the Southeast Research
and Extension Center at Rohwer.
"The varieties were subjected to a period of prolonged
flooding at the R2, or bloom, growth stage."
Ashlock says, "In 1998, we put a prolonged flood on
40 cultivars, 20 Group IVs and 20 Group Vs, when plants
were between growth stages V2 and V4, which is 4-8 inches
tall. We maintained the flood about 2 inches up the stalks
for four days."
The 1998 test included dryland soybeans and a normally
irrigated section as well as the plants under prolonged
flood. Once the prolonged-flood portion of the test was
completed, all of the irrigated beans were watered according
to the U of A's computerized Irrigation Scheduling Program.
"We want to evaluate the effect of the three scenarios
-- water deficit, water surplus and normal irrigation
-- on plant development and yield," says Ashlock.
"The earlier study showed that the 2-inch prolonged
flood was a harsh treatment and that some varieties perform
better than others on clay soil. On the silt loam soil
at Pine Tree, all the varieties seem to be more tolerant
of prolonged flooding than on clay.
"At the R2 stage, or flowering, the early maturing
Group IV varieties are more sensitive to flooding than
Group V and VI varieties."
Ashlock says, "One of the main things we've learned
from this work is that varieties which seem more tolerant
to prolonged flood on silt loam soil may or may not be
more tolerant on clay."
Soybeans Today January 1999
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