Effects of different concentrations of hydrogen-rich water on soybean yield and quality

【Objective】The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of hydrogen-rich water（HRW）on soybean yield and quality, in order to provide a theoretical basis for its application in high-yield and high-quality soybean cultivation. 【Method】With different concentrations of hydrogen-rich water 0（CK）, 30% HRW, 60% HRW treatment, when the soybean seedlings grew to about 15 cm high, the soybean seedlings with consistent growth were selected and transferred to the outdoor for pot experiment, different concentrations of hydrogen-rich water（1.5 L per pot） were poured every week until the soybean maturity period. After harvest, the phenotypic characteristics and number of root nodules of soybean plants were compared among different treatments. Additionally, biomass, pod number per plant, kernel weight per plant, 100-kernel weight, protein content and fat content were measured to assess the effects of hydrogen-rich water on soybean yield and quality. 【Result】Compared with the growth indicators of CK, 30%HRW treatment significantly increased both aboveground and root dry weights（P＜0.05, the same below） while decreased nodule numbers per plant. No significant differences were observed in terms of plant height, nodule number per plant and root dry weight between 60% HRW treatment and CK（P＞0.05, the same below）. In comparison to soybean yield related indicators of CK, treatment with 30% HRW resulted in a significant increase in pod number per plant（48.72%）, pod weight per plant（78.40%）, kernel number per plant（58.71%）, and an increase in 100-kernel weight（18.92%）; while treatment with 60% HRW resulted in a decrease in pod number per plant（14.10%）,a significant decrease in pod weight per plant（24.73%）,a significant decrease in kernel number per plant（23.23%） and a decrease in 100-kernel weight（22.44%）. Compared with soybean quality related indicators of CK, the protein content and fat content of 30%HRW treatment were not significantly different, but the total protein content of kernel per plant significantly increased by 84.94%, the total fat content of kernel per plant by 78.12%; the protein content in 60% HRW treatment significantly decreased, while difference in fat content was not significant, the total protein content of kernel per plant significantly decreased by 56.37%, and the total fat content of kernel per plant significantly decreased by 39.84%. 【Conclusion】The application of 30% HRW can enhance soybean growth, significantly increase plant biomass accumulation, and improve both soybean yield and quality.