Expression of DREB1, RBCL, PIP, SGR genes and morpho-physiological changes under water stress in soybean

In drought-prone areas of India, soybean, an important leguminous crop, is subjected to osmotic stress. These conditions are responsible for the reduction in the yield of a crop. The goal of this study was to see how the genes for dehydration-responsive element binding protein (dreb), ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcl), stay green (sgr), and plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (pip) changed its biochemical, physiological, and expression under well-watered and water-restricted conditions in soybean. 60-day-old plants of six genotypes were subjected to ten days of severe water restriction. Under restricted water conditions, shoots' fresh and dry weights were lower, whereas root length grew dramatically. Proline significantly accumulated as the osmotic potential increased. Among all studied soybean cultivars, JS335 showed a considerable increase in malondialdehyde under water restriction. However, Catalase activity was considerably higher in the JS20-95, and Glutathione Reductase activity was increased in JS97-52. Under water-stressed conditions, POX activity was elevated in the majority of genotypes. Under water-restricted and well-watered conditions, shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and relative water content (RWC) changed significantly. The present study provides essential information on morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes in soybean cultivars under water-restricted conditions. The obtained information may be used to select osmotic stress-tolerant soybean genotypes and their utilization in improving this valuable crop.