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Is there potential to adapt soybean ( G lycine max M err.) to future [ CO 2 ]? An analysis of the yield response of 18 genotypes in free‐air CO 2 enrichment
Author(s) -
BISHOP KRISTEN A.,
BETZELBERGER AMY M.,
LONG STEPHEN P.,
AINSWORTH ELIZABETH A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12443
Subject(s) - heritability , breed , cultivar , coefficient of variation , zoology , crop , genotype , biology , genetic variation , growing season , horticulture , chemistry , agronomy , genetics , gene , chromatography
Rising atmospheric [ CO 2 ] is a uniform, global change that increases C 3 photosynthesis and could offset some of the negative effects of global climate change on crop yields. Genetic variation in yield responsiveness to rising [ CO 2 ] would provide an opportunity to breed more responsive crop genotypes. A multi‐year study of 18 soybean ( G lycine max M err.) genotypes was carried out to identify variation in responsiveness to season‐long elevated [ CO 2 ] (550 ppm) under fully open‐air replicated field conditions. On average across 18 genotypes, elevated [ CO 2 ] stimulated total above‐ground biomass by 22%, but seed yield by only 9%, in part because most genotypes showed a reduction in partitioning of energy to seeds. Over four years of study, there was consistency from year to year in the genotypes that were most and least responsive to elevated [ CO 2 ], suggesting heritability of CO 2 response. Further analysis of six genotypes did not reveal a photosynthetic basis for the variation in yield response. Although partitioning to seed was decreased, cultivars with the highest partitioning coefficient in current [ CO 2 ] also had the highest partitioning coefficient in elevated [ CO 2 ]. The results show the existence of genetic variation in soybean response to elevated [ CO 2 ], which is needed to breed soybean to the future atmospheric environment.