Radiation-use efficiency of soybean, mugbean and cowpea under different environmental conditions

Abstract

Abstract Radiation-use efficiency (RUE), defined as the amount of biomass accumulated per unit radiation intercepted, is a key measure of the photosynthetic performance of crops growing in different environments. The RUE of soybean (Glycine max L.), mungbean (Vigna radiata) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) growing under well-watered field conditions in tropical and subtropical environments was determined from frequent biomass samplings and continuous logging of intercepted radiation throughout growth. The slope of the relationship between net biomass accumulation and intercepted radiation was linear throughout most of growth, almost until the end of pod-filling in all species and all environments. The decrease in RUE just prior to maturity was associated with losses of biomass due to leaf shedding, and also with a decline in specific leaf nitrogen. The RUE during the linear phase was slightly higher in cowpea than in mungbean and soybean. For each species, the RUE was similar in different environments despite large differences in air temperature, water vapour saturation deficit and incident radiation. It was concluded that RUE under well-watered conditions is constant througout most of growth and unaffected by the aerial environment. Baseline values of RUE were 0.88 g MJ−1 for soybean, 0.94 g MJ−1 for mungbean, and 1.05 g MJ−1 for cowpea.