Peer review

Various soybean cultivars were grown under different watering regimes in the field and greenhouse in south-eastern U.S.A. (1995 and 1996), and in the field in north-eastern Western Australia (1995). Aqueous glycinebetaine was applied at different growth stages onto their foliage with the objective of ameliorating effects of water stress on photosynthesis activity, nitrogen fixation, leaf growth, biomass accumulation and seed yield. There were cultivar differences in response to drought. Trends which suggest that exogenous glycinebetaine could improve photosynthesis activity, nitrogen fixation and leaf area development, were established. The observed seed yield increase of both well-watered and drought-stressed plants was associated with greater number of seeds following the application of 3 kg ha−1 glycinebetaine. The results indicate that foliar-applied glycinebetaine possesses anti-transpirant properties and has the potential to improve drought tolerance and reduce the amount of water used for irrigation, without any significant decrease in economic yield. There is evidence that soybean could be classified as a low-accumulator of glycinebetaine.

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