[Effects of activated water irrigation on growth characteristics of soybean under drought stress].

To understand the effects of activated water irrigation on soybean growth under different drought conditions and explore the underlying mechanisms, an indoor pot experiment was conducted under four moisture conditions of 95%-100%, 75%-85%, 55%-65% and 35%-45% of the maximum water holding capacity (80% moisture) of the medium. Soybean was irrigated with tap water, magnetized water, aerated water, and magnetized and then aerated water, respectively. The results showed that total biomass, leaf area, root to shoot ratio, and root length of magnetized water irrigation increased by 67.6%, 23.5%, 84.6% and 122.8%, respectively compared with tap water irrigation after 30 days of growth under 35%-45% severe drought condition. All the variables were increased by 70.8%, 24.0%, 61.9% and 162.3% respectively in magnetized and aerated water treatment. There was no significant difference for foliar chlorophyll content. The values of the other water treatments were slightly lower than that of tap water. In conclusion, magnetized water irrigation effectively enhanced root growth, root-shoot ratio, and water use efficiency of soybean, and alleviated the negative effects of drought stress under severe drought condition.