Physiology and Yield Components of Dryland Soybean Under Different Planting Geometry.

Drought is one of the main abiotic stresses affecting soybean yield in the USA. In North Dakota, 99% of soybeans are produced under dryland condition, and the crop is highly vulnerable to drought stress during the reproductive phase of crop development. The objectives of this study are to (a) find an ideal soybean row spacing for semi-arid Northwest North Dakota, and (b) improve understanding of treatment effects on physiological and yield traits. The study was planted on May 26, 2015, at Williston Research Extension Center, Williston, ND with row spacing of 19, 38, 57, and 76 cm. The treatment effects on physiological traits, such as canopy temperature measured with an infra-red camera and percent greenness measured with a smartphone from 3 m above the canopy, and yield components are discussed.