Effects of Ultraviolet-B Irradiance on Soybean

Soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr. cv Essex) were grown in a green-house, and the first trifoliate leaf was either allowed to expand under a high photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) (1.4 millimoles per square meter per second) or a low PPFD (0.8 millimoles per square meter per second). After full leaf expansion, plants from each treatment were placed into a factorial design experiment with two levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation (0 and 80 milliwatts per square meter biologically effective UV-B) and two levels of concomitant PPFD (0.8 and 1.4 millimoles per square meter per second) resulting in a total of eight treatments. Measurements of net photosynthesis and the associated diffusion conductances, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity, chlorophyll and flavonoid concentrations, and leaf anatomy were examined for all treatments. Leaves expanded in the high PPFD were unaffected by UV-B radiation while those expanded in the low PPFD were sensitive to UV-B-induced damage. Likewise, plants which were UV-B irradiated concomitantly with the high PPFD were resistant to UV-B damage, while plants irradiated under the low PPFD were sensitive. The results of this study indicate that both anatomical/morphological and physiological/biochemical factors contribute toward plant sensitivity to UV-B radiation.