N2 fixation and dry matter and N accumulation in soybean lines with different seed-fill periods

Abstract

A positive relationship generally exists between the duration of seed-fill period (SFP) and seed yield in soybean, but exceptions have been reported. The objective of this research was to determine if differences in N2 fixation or N accumulation could explain inconsistent relationships between duration of SFP and seed yield in soybean. For this study, five experimental soybean (Glycine max L. [Men.]) lines were selected on the bases of differences in SFP and seed yield in previous experiments. The experiment was designed to compare lines differing in both SFP and seed yield, differing in SFP but not seed yield, and differing in seed yield but not SFP. Total N2 fixation, using 15N-dilution techniques; total N accumulation, using a semi-micro-Kjeldahl procedure; and total dry matter accumulation, including all vegetative material abscised before maturity were measured on these lines grown in a Flanagan silt loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Aquic Argiudolls) in 1984 and 1985 at Urbana, IL. Mean dinitrogen fixed ranged from 36 to 76 kg ha−1 in 1984 and from 65 to 113 kg ha−1 in 1985. The percentage of the total plant N derived from fixation ranged from 17 to 35% in 1984 and from 32 to 48% in 1985. Statistically significant differences in seed yield were not detected in this experiment because of the high coefficient of variation associated with the small plot size. High N2 fixation was not related to duration of SFP or previous seed yield classification. Total plant N did not differ among these genotypes. For these soybean lines differences in duration of SFP and previous seed yield classification were not related to total N2 fixation or N accumulation.Key words: Glycine max, harvest index, N partitioning, N2 fixation, seed-fill period