Do similarities exist between the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on soybeans of similar pedigree? Many experiments have investigated the sensitivity of soybeans to enhanced UVB irradiance, however the results have been contradictory or inconsistent.

Experiments in the greenhouse on six soybean cultivars - Bay, York, Essex, Forrest, Williams 82 and James - compared the heliotropic movements, leaf area and leaf weight of six replicates of each cultivar in a UV enhanced area with those in a control group to determine the physiological and heliotropic responses of these cultivars to UV. Heliotropic measurements were also made in the field under ambient UV conditions and compared with the results from the greenhouse. The leaf orientation measurements were used to predict the UVB dose on the uppermost trifoliates to determine whether the sensitivity was related to their heliotropic response, and whether genetically similar cultivars displayed comparable characteristics.

This study provides a greater understanding of the impact of UV radiation on soybeans and relates plant responses to UV radiation with pedigree.