Physiological and Agronomic Responses and Nutrient Uptake of Soybean Genotypes Cultivated Under Various Sowing Dates

Abstract

Late or early sowing subjecting crop plants to stress conditions, this is simulating the climatic change efects. The global warming and climate change are critical issues in agriculture since progressive rise in temperature leads to exposure the crops to heat stress, hence low productivity. Since weather conditions are uncontrollable, it is impossible to modulate their negative impacts against crop growth and development. However, scientists should not be handcufed about this serious problem. So, in open feld conditions, the performance of some soybean genotypes was evaluated under diferent sowing dates. Along the two seasons of 2019 and 2020, feld experiments were designed in a split-plot design using three replicates to evaluate the performance of four soybean genotypes (Giza-21, Giza-35, Giza-111, and Crawford) under four sowing dates (15th April, 30th April, 15th May, and 30th May). Various physiological and growth traits, yield attributes, seed nutrient contents, and oil and protein contents were estimated. Sowing Crawford (in both seasons) and Giza-35 (in the frst season) on 15th April as well as Giza-111 either on 30th April or 15th May produced the highest catalase activity. In plots sown on 30th April, Crawford and Giza-21 (in the frst season) and Giza-111 (in both seasons) exhibited the highest leaves area plant−1. Plots sown by Giza-111 on 30th April was the potent interaction for enhancing seed yield in both seasons. Under any sowing date in the second season and the sowing date of 30th April in the frst season, Giza-111 was the efective genotype for recording the maximum seed oil content. For adopting a specifc stress condition scenario, it is advisable to insert Giza-111 as an efective gene pool to improve soybean genotypes under unfavorable conditions, expressed in sowing dates.