Statistical analysis of the effects of variations in leaf shape,
planting density, and nitrogen application rate on direct and diffuse
light contributions to the crop yield from soy
Abstract
When attempting to maximize the crop yield from field-grown soy (
Glycine max (L.) Merr.) by means of improving the light
conditions for photosynthesis in the canopy, it is crucial to find the
optimal planting density and nitrogen application rate. The soy plants
were cultivated in N-dense mutual pairs, and included two cultivars with
different leaf shapes; one sported ovate leaves (O-type) and the other
lanceolate leaves (L-type). We analyzed the results quantitatively to
gauge the effect of the experimental parameters on the yield as well as
the photosynthetic light and nitrogen use efficiency. Results indicate
that the different leaf shapes were responsible for significant
disparities between the photosynthetic utilization of direct and diffuse
light. The light interception rate of the L-type canopy was lower than
that of the O-type, but its canopy apparent photosynthetic nitrogen and
light use efficiency were higher. However, the nitrogen and light use
efficiency contributions associated with exposure to diffuse light were
greater for the latter than for the former. Our conclusion is that
optimizing the yield from densely planted L-type soy hinges on using an
appropriate nitrogen application rate, while O-type soy requires
optimizing its nitrogen and light use efficiency under conditions of
diffuse lighting.