Does pre-germination flooding-tolerant soybean cultivar germinate better under hypoxia conditions?

AbstractThe germination and emergence of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] can be adversely affected by the presence of excessive water as a result of continuous rainfall. The pre-germination flooding-tolerant cultivars can be tolerant to hypoxia in the flooding field. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationship between germination under hypoxia at different temperatures and pre-germination flooding tolerance. Seeds of 6 soybean cultivars were subjected to 5 oxygen concentrations and 3 temperatures. Seeds of all 6 cultivars hardly germinated under an oxygen concentration of 20 mL L–1, but germinated with increasing oxygen concentration regardless of temperature. The pre-germination flooding-tolerant cultivar ‘Peking’ exhibited poorer germination under hypoxia than the other cultivars. Seed coat of ‘Peking’ did not dehisce when seeds did not germinate under hypoxia regardless of temperature. The pre-germination flooding-susceptible cultivar ‘Nakasennari’ exhibited higher seed coat dehiscence...