Growth response of soybean (Glycine max L.) under drought stress condition

The amount of moisture in the soil has a significant impact on the growth of soybean, if there is a significant drop in the amount of moisture present in the soil, the soybean plant will undergo drought stress. But, the performance and extent of withstand of drought stress is yet to be scrutinized. Therefore, this study was conducted in plastic houses in Demangan Village, Sambi, Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, from August to November 2020 with an aim to know the response of the soybean growth under drought stress. The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated thrice. The first factor was the soil moisture, which consisted of four levels, namely, 100, 75, 50 and 25% field capacity. The second factor was the growth phase, which consisted of three kinds, namely, active vegetative, flowering time and seed filling period. The results showed that soil moisture of 50% field capacity in all growth phases caused to decrease in leaf size, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and plant dry weight. The maximal leaf size, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and plant dry weight were obtained in 100% field capacity in the seed filling phase, while the lowest at 25% field capacity. The study findings showed that the most sensitive phase of soybean growth to drought stress was in the seed filling phase. The practical implication was that the soybean growth should be in field capacity, especially in the seed filling phase.