Field studies were conducted in the southeastern Korea (36~circ N) on a commerce silt loam soil at paddy field. Seed were manually planted on 16 July 2003. Plants were planted with plant densities of 70~times 10 cm (row width x plant spacing), 50 x 10 cm, and 30 ~times 10 cm. Two seedlings per hill were taken prior to V3 stage. Fertilizer was applied prior to plant at a rate of 30-30-34 kg (N-~textrmP2~textrmO5 -~textrmK2~textrmO ) per ha. Experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split plot arrangement with three replications. Yield from different planting densities responded similarly in three soybean cultivars and increased when planting density increased. Somyeongkong showed the highest increasing rate of yield about 26% by 338 g ~textrmm-2 at 30 x l0 cm compared to yield of conventional planting density (70 x 10 cm). Also, the planting density significantly affected pod and seed number and seed weight, but not seed per pod. The tallest plant appeared at 30~times 10 cm. The change of leaf area according to days after emergence showed differently in soybean cultivars. The highest and lowest total dry matter production per square meter appeared at 30 x 10 cm and at 70 x 10 cm, respectively. Crop growth rate (CGR) showed greater at R3∼R4 stages compared with V7∼R2 or R2∼R3 growth stages and showed the greatest at 30 x 10 cm in three soybean cultivars. As late planted soybean, there was a significant relation between seed yield and CGR, and leaf area index (LAI) according to planting densities at before and after the flowering stage. Relationship between seed yield and CGR in three planting densities showed a highly significant positive relation (~textrmR2 =0.757) at R3 to R4 stages, and significant relations (~textrmR2 =0.505, 0.617) at V7 to R2 and V2 to V3. Also, there was a highly significant positive difference between seed yield and LAI during R3 to R4 and R2 to R3 stages.

• Cho Jin-Woong
• Jung-Joon Lee
• Young-Jin Oh
• Jae-Dong Lee
• Sang-Bok Lee