Leaf Photosynthetic Characteristics of High-Yield Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Under Different Planting Densities, Different Fertilization Rates, and Single/Mixed Planting Patterns.

Understanding the photosynthetic characteristics of high-yield soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cultivar (HYC) would aid research aiming at investi-gating the soybean high yield formation mechanism and optimization of cultivation system. To assess the photosynthesis of HYC, a pot experiment was conducted to quantify the differences in photosynthetic characteristics between HYC and common-yield soybean cultivar (CC) under different planting densities, fertilization rates, and single/mixed planting patterns. The leaf greenness (Lg), net photosynthetic rate (Ph), stomatal conductance (St) and transpiration rate (Tr) were significantly higher in HYC than CC mainly in seed-filling stages. HYC was more tolerant to dense and mixed planting because the decreases of Ph and St under high planting density and those of Ph, St, and Tr under mixed planting were lower in HYC than CC. The Lg and Ph in HYC were more superior to those in CC at high fertilization rate. Thus, the HYC has a superior performance in photosynthetic characteristics under the varied cultivation practices, which may contribute to the greater seed yield in HYC than CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]