ANNOUNCEMENT: Interested Members of the University Community are invited to attend the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of  Michael G. Gebre of the Department of Plant Agriculture 

Date:Thursday, September 24, 2020
Time: 1:30 PM 

https://zoom.us/j/97294912837?pwd=NElNenh4SFk2c0YzZ0Q5WXhIMXNFdz09 

Meeting ID: 972 9491 2837  

Password: 751993 

Please contact me at mgebre@uoguelph.ca if you wish to be added to the list to attend the examination portion of the exam. 

Thesis Title: Genetic variation for physiological traits affecting drought tolerance among Ontario-adapted commercial soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] varieties grown in 1-m rooting columns 

Advisory Committee                            Examination Committee 

Dr. Hugh Earl, Advisor)                               Dr. Peter Pauls, Chair 

Dr. Eric Lyons                                            Dr. Felix Fritschi, External Examiner 

Dr. Milad Eskandari                                    Dr. Hugh Earl 

Dr. Andrew MacDougall                              Dr. Eric Lyons 

                                                               Dr. Josh Nasielski 

ABSTRACT 

Drought stress significantly limits soybean production in Ontario. Identification of physiological traits to improve drought tolerance in soybean would benefit from controlled-environment phenotyping methods. It was hypothesized that elite Ontario-adapted soybean varieties would differ for drought tolerance. A greenhouse culture system was developed employing 1-m rooting columns filled with amended field soil, that presents field-like volumetric soil water content and rooting profiles by depth. Different levels of drought stress were simulated in this system by restoring soil water to 100% (control), 75% (mild stress) or 50% (drought stress) of the maximum soil water holding capacity by daily weighing and watering from first flower (R1) until maturity. The effect of applying fertilizer throughout the 1-m soil profile instead of confining it to the upper 30 cm was tested. Distributing fertilizer over the entire 1-m rooting depth resulted in deeper rooting and more soil water extraction at depth at the R1 stage; however, these effects did not persist until maturity and so did not affect drought tolerance. Fifteen Ontario-adapted commercial soybean varieties were compared for their drought tolerance, defined as the ratio of their seed yield under drought conditions compared to control conditions (seed yield ratio; SYR). Similar to the effects of drought in the field, pod number was by far the yield component most affected, with effects on seeds per pod and single-seed weight being relatively minor. Based on their SYR, two drought-sensitive varieties (Saska and OAC Drayton) and three drought-tolerant varieties (OAC Lakeview, OAC Champion, and PRO 2715R) were identified. Principal components analysis showed that drought-tolerant varieties were those that maintained relatively high water use, shoot dry matter, and pod number under stress. Varieties differed for root biomass distribution by depth, but not for soil water extraction profiles, and there was no evidence that differences in drought tolerance were associated with rooting traits among these fifteen varieties. This study helps define the physiological basis of soybean variety differences in drought tolerance, and provides novel phenotyping tools for soybean breeders to select for root function and yield formation traits that could improve soybean yield under drought stress. 

Publications: 

Gebre, M.G. and Earl, H.J. (2020). Effects of Growth Medium and Water Stress on Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Growth, Soil Water Extraction and Rooting Profiles by Depth in 1-m Rooting Columns. Front. Plant Sci. 11:487. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00487 

Gebre, M.G. and Earl, H.J. (2020). Soil Water Deficit and Fertilizer Placement Effects on Root Biomass Distribution, Water Uptake, Yield, and Yield Components of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Grown in 1-m Rooting Columns. Frontiers in Plant Science (In Review).