Abstract
This research was conducted to compare the dry matter production and the yield productivity among nine soybean cultivars by measuring the photosynthetic ability of the middle and lower leaves at the flowering and the seed development stages. The leaf greenness(SPAD value) were ranged as 32-42 at the flowering stage. Also, They were ranged as 25-40 and 38-51 at the fifth leaf and the seventh leaf, respectively. The photosynthetic ability at the flowering and the seed development stage showed significant differences among soybean cultivars, and the photosynthetic ability at the seed development stage showed higher difference among cultivars than the flowering stage. The variation of the photosynthetic ability at the flowering and the seed development stage also was significant among cultivars. The light saturation point at the flowering stage was about 1500 $\mu$mol $m^{-2}$ $s^{-1}$ PAR, and the seed development stage was about 1000 $\mu$mol $m^{-2}$ $s^{-1}$ PAR. The photosynthesis showed the high negative correlation with the leaf area and the positive correlation with the leaf area ratio. Also, photosynthesis at seed development stage showed positive correlation with grain yields but there was not significant between photosynthesis and yields at flowering stage..