Changes in radiation interception and R:FR over time and with canopy depth of two soybean cultivars with different branching characteristics

Because an outgrowth of auxiliary bud in plant is regulated by light quality detected by phytochrome, branching differences in various environment or cultivars in soybean would be the results of the responses to light environment. Therefore, we analyzed differences in the number of branches of two determinate soybean cultivars, ‘Hatsusayaka’ and ‘Sachiyutaka’, between low and high planting densities in relation to light quality within the canopy. We compared changes in the ratio of red to far red (R:FR) irradiance at the ground level over time and with canopy height with those in the fraction of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (FIPAR) and leaf area index (LAI). Regardless of time or distance from the top of the canopy, the changes in R:FR were sigmoidal, and were symmetrical with those of FIPAR and LAI. The effects of density and cultivar on FIPAR, LAI, and R:FR could be modeled with a logistic function. The number of branches was greater at low density than at high density, and in Hatsusayaka than in Sachiyutaka. However, there were no notable differences in the dynamics of R:FR between planting densities or between cultivars. Close relationships between parameters of the dynamics of the changes in R:FR and of those in FIPAR and LAI suggest that FIPAR and LAI are major factors that regulate R:FR, regardless of time or canopy depth. We found no evidence of a causal relationship between the dynamics of R:FR within the canopy over time or with canopy depth and number of branches of either cultivar.