Researchers Identify Key Survival Strategy for Soybeans During Heat and Drought

By Eric Stann

It’s a hot, dry summer afternoon, and the skies offer no relief for a field of soybeans. But within those green leaves, these plants are quietly fighting back.

Researchers at the University of Missouri recently discovered that soybeans have a natural defense strategy  called differential transpiration  that helps protect the plant’s reproductive tissues (flowers and seed pods) during extreme weather conditions.

Think of it as nature’s version of targeted air conditioning.

“Soybeans keep their stomata tiny pores used for plant breathing and cooling by evaporation  open on their flowers and pods to allow for transpirational cooling while simultaneously closing the stomata on their leaves,” Ron Mittler, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Plant Science and Technology in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said. “By selectively cooling only the reproductive tissues and closing the stomata on the larger leaf area, these plants can save a substantial amount of water upwards of 95 percent.”