Variation among soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) accessions in epidermal conductance of leaves

Abstract

Significant variation in epidermal conductance was obtained among the 74 soybean accessions tested. When six accessions representing high, medium and low epidermal conductance groups were grown under different environments, it was found that epidermal conductance was sensitive to changes in temperature, relative humidity and water stress. However, analysis of these responses showed that genotypic differences were consistent, although the six accessions possessed varying levels of stability of expression of the trait. Epidermal conductance, therefore, appears to be a physiological trait which might well be utilized in a plant-breeding program for improvement of drought resistance in soybean, should further studies establish its utility for that purpose.