Location: Plant Science Research
Project Number: 6070-21600-001-009-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2024
Objective:
Maintaining crop production under climate change is critical for food security and the profitability of U.S. farmers. Resilience to drought is a key adaptive factor. This project will characterize the water use efficiency of diverse soybean germplasm to identify genetic sources of this trait that breeders can use to improve the drought tolerance of soybean.
Approach:
The project will screen soybean breeding lines for a leaf gas exchange trait associated with increased water use efficiency (contributing to both drought and ozone tolerance). The genotypes lines will be grown field plots or in open-top field chambers. Portable leaf gas exchange instruments will be used to measure photosynthesis and stomatal conductance to calculate water use efficiency at critical developmental stages.
