Quantifying High-Temperature and Drought Stress Effects on Soybean Growth and Yield in the Western Guanzhong Plain

Abstract

High-temperature and drought events significantly impact crop growth and development. In the soybean-producing region of the Guanzhong Plain in China, understanding the dynamics of these climatic phenomena is vital for soybean yield preservation. Through a fixed-position observation experiment that analyzed four growth stages, nine agronomic traits, and soybean yield per unit area from 1998 to 2023, this research evaluated the characteristics of high-temperature and drought processes in various growth stages. It also examined the influence of high-temperature processes, drought processes, and their combined effects on agronomic traits and yield. The results indicate the following: (1) High temperature was a constant factor during the soybean growth period, with temperature-related indices markedly surpassing those related to drought. Notably, the occurrence of high-temperature and drought events was more prevalent during the flowering–podding stage than at the podding or grain-filling stages. (2) High temperature profoundly affected soybean yield components, primarily through a decrease in the number of grains per plant during the flowering–podding stage, subsequently impacting the grain weight per plant and yield. In years with extremely high temperatures, the soybean plant height was reduced by 6.1 to 15 cm, the main stem node number decreased by 0.1 to 2.9, the branch number decreased by 0.2 to 0.6, the number of pods per plant decreased by 4.8 to 13.7, the number of grains per pod decreased by 0.1 to 0.3, the number of grains per plant decreased by 13.5 to 32.6, the grain weight per plant decreased by 3.8 to 6.9 g, and the 100-grain weight decreased by 0.1 to 4.5 g. The common impact of high temperature combined with drought processes in different growth stages was reflected in the reduction in the number of branches by 0.1 to 1.4 and the reduction in the number of grains per pod by 0.02 to 13.7. This study underscores the importance of addressing the quantitative effects of climate change and extreme weather on soybean yield, which could help to develop effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.