| Flooding, excess water in the root environment of land plants, can be injurious or lethal to plants due to blocking of oxygen transfer and other gases between root, soil, and atmosphere. Morphological, physiological, and molecular responses to flooding have been reported for soybean (Glycine max, L.), a generally flood intolerant plant, resulting in decreased soybean yield. This research project examined one flood tolerant (No. 54 Huai) and one flood intolerant (Nizhen) soybean line for flood tolerance mechanisms. Whole-plant morphology, root tip DNA activities, root nodule characteristics, and cytokinin production (bioassay and HPLC) indicated the flood tolerant soybean line had the metabolic and anatomical structure in place to maintain the status quo (pre-flood) conditions without undergoing many changes. The flood intolerant soybean line underwent more drastic changes allocating resources to these alterations when resources were at a premium and resource production was hampered. |
