Simulation of the hail damage on regeneration and yield of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Abstract

The most common mechanical damage to soybean in the agroecological conditions of Serbia occurs after the appearance of hail, floods or due to damage from wild animals and insects. In recent years, extreme temperatures accompanied by drought have been increasingly recorded during the summer months, as well as the appearance of hail, which has become frequent during the growing season of spring crops. The aim of this work was to determine the consequences and the extent of yield reduction if hail occurs in the generative stages of soybean development. The occurrence of hail in the R1 (beginning bloom) and R3 (beginning pod) stages of development in the form of plant damage was simulated. This paper will present the results of how three soybean varieties reacted after simulated hail damage in two stages of generative development and what the effects were on yield, height, number of fertile nodes, as well as percentage of plant regeneration. The trial was set up in 2020 as a two-factorial experiment in three replications. Three soybean varieties were sown in late April. In order to simulate hail damage, the plants were cut to a height of 15 cm to ensure at least two nodes and enable the regeneration of the plants. The stage of development of soybean, i.e. the moment of hail damage, had a direct impact on the yield, the number of regenerated plants, as well as the number of fertile nodes.