Murray State University
Foliar Application of Acetic Acid and Effectiveness Against Drought at Different Time Points in Soybean (Glycine max) Development
Major
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture- Agronomy
KY House District #
5
KY Senate District #
1
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Megan Taylor, PhD.
Department
School of Agriculture
Abstract
Drought is arguably the most serious environmental factor affecting crop production today. A plant's response to drought stress is extremely complex, affecting numerous metabolic pathways that are all interconnected in their responses. Due to this complex nature, scientists do not fully understand the implications of different treatments and how they affect these processes. Acetic acid has been shown to improve plant growth and resistance to drought stress, but exactly how it accomplishes this is also unknown. Soybeans (Glycine max) are one of the most important crops worldwide and can suffer significant yield loss due to drought stress. As climate change continues to drive extreme weather patterns, it is vitally important to discover genetics and treatments to protect crop yields. It is also important to find solutions that will continue to provide for an exponentially growing world population while being environmentally friendly, economical, and easy to access. The results of this project did not provide clear answers on the effectiveness of this treatment, however treatment groups 2 and 3 outperformed those that received it any other time. These plants had the greatest plant height, dry matter in roots and shoots, and root lengths observed at harvest. Throughout the drought period these groups also has the highest measures of chlorophyll in their trifoliates. While this study was a very limited study, these results show promise that warrants further studies in various formats to prove whether or not acetic acid treatments truly show promise in mitigating drought stresses in such an important crop as soybeans.
Keywords: soybeans, drought, acetic acid
Foliar Application of Acetic Acid and Effectiveness Against Drought at Different Time Points in Soybean (Glycine max) Development
Drought is arguably the most serious environmental factor affecting crop production today. A plant's response to drought stress is extremely complex, affecting numerous metabolic pathways that are all interconnected in their responses. Due to this complex nature, scientists do not fully understand the implications of different treatments and how they affect these processes. Acetic acid has been shown to improve plant growth and resistance to drought stress, but exactly how it accomplishes this is also unknown. Soybeans (Glycine max) are one of the most important crops worldwide and can suffer significant yield loss due to drought stress. As climate change continues to drive extreme weather patterns, it is vitally important to discover genetics and treatments to protect crop yields. It is also important to find solutions that will continue to provide for an exponentially growing world population while being environmentally friendly, economical, and easy to access. The results of this project did not provide clear answers on the effectiveness of this treatment, however treatment groups 2 and 3 outperformed those that received it any other time. These plants had the greatest plant height, dry matter in roots and shoots, and root lengths observed at harvest. Throughout the drought period these groups also has the highest measures of chlorophyll in their trifoliates. While this study was a very limited study, these results show promise that warrants further studies in various formats to prove whether or not acetic acid treatments truly show promise in mitigating drought stresses in such an important crop as soybeans.
Keywords: soybeans, drought, acetic acid