Comparison of Yields of Several Cultivars of Field-Grown Soybeans Exposed to Simulated Acidic Rainfalls

摘要

Rainfall acidity response functions for crop yield and growth are necessary to predict the overall impacts on crop yields of ambient and/or anticipated levels of acidic rain. The experiment described herein was performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory to determine the effects of simulated rainfalls of pH 5.6, 4.4, 4.1 and 3.3 on seed yields of four cultivars of field grown soybeans. Soybeans were chosen because previous results suggested that certain varieties of this crop are sensitive to rainfall acidity and because they are an economically important crop in the United States. Sixteen plots per treatment were used. Plants were grown using standard agronomic practices under automatically moveable rainfall exclusion shelters which minimized changes in the plants' microclimate. (Copyright (c) 1986 The New Phytologist.)