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Sudip Poudel, a recent graduate of Kentucky State University's M.S. in Environmental Studies program, recently published research in Nature Portfolio's Scientific Reports Journal. The paper, titled "Identifying the most sensitive growth stages of soybean to defoliation," explores his work at Kentucky State.

Poudel's research examines how reduced leaf area at different growth stages affects soybean yield and seed composition. Field experiments were conducted at the University's Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm using soybean cultivars from different maturity groups.

The project was conducted under Dr. Anuj Chiluwal, assistant professor of agronomy at Kentucky State. Since joining Chiluwal's lab in fall 2023, Poudel has published two other peer-reviewed articles based on University research.

This current high-impact publication adds to the body of Poudel's work, including his first-author paper "Final Seed Size in Soybean is Determined During Mid-seed Filling Stage" in Agronomy, which identified the final seed size determination stage in soybean under field conditions for the first time.

"Sudip brought incredible dedication to this project," Chiluwal said. "His research identifies sensitive growth stages in soybeans under reduced assimilate supply—findings that could help soybean growers optimize crop management during critical periods."

Identifying when soybeans are most vulnerable to stress motivated the research.

"Soybean farmers often deal with lower productivity and decreased seed quality due to reduced photosynthesis, leaf loss from insects or diseases, and unpredictable weather," Poudel said. "If we can pinpoint those critical windows, farmers can make more informed management decisions to protect yield and improve seed quality."

Future work will explore strategies to optimize plant resource allocation for maximum soybean yield and quality.

 

The research was supported by a USDA NIFA Evans Allen Grant (Accession Number: 7004460).