Handling Soybean (Glycine max L.) Under Stress

Abstract

Soybean is among the most important leguminous plants with the ability to establish symbiotic association with the N-fixing bacteria, Bradyrhizobium japonicum. With respect to the environmental and economical significance of N fixation, there has been extensive research work regarding the production of legumes including soybean under different conditions. Soils are usually subjected to some kind of stress including salinity, acidity and suboptimal root zone temperature. One of the most important processes, affecting the performance of soybean under stress is the inhibited exchange of the signal molecules, specifically genistein, between the host legume and B. japonicum during the initiation of symbiosis. Interestingly, inoculation of B. japonicum with the signal molecule genistein has partially or completely alleviated the stress. It is also of significance to determine the right combination of N-fertilization and rhizobium inoculums when planting leguminous including soybean. The use of breeding techniques may also be among the effective methods of improving soybean performance under stress. In this chapter some of the most important advances regarding the performance of soybean under different conditions including stress with respect to the molecular techniques are reviewed. Some future perspectives are also presented, the production of tolerant plants and microbes are among the most important ones.