Abstract: The experiment was carried out at sample nursery of Hebei Agricultural University in 2006–2008. Adzuki bean Jihong 4, a medium and late maturing variety, was treated with two photoperiods [natural light (control)] and 12-hour light) at the zero leaf age (LF)–four leaf age. When the first two leaves appeared, we started to determine the physiological indicators at five-leaf age. At the maturity stage, we investigated agronomic traits, dry matter accumulation, yield components, and plots yield. The result showed that the short-day photoperiod can deccrease plant height, stem diameter, node number, and promote branch formation, and the effect on plants at younger leaf age was significant; short-day photoperiod also evidently decreased dry matter accumulation in different organs of plant from the first two leaves appearing to the first compound leaf bully expanded, especially for biomass and grain yield; short-day photoperiod shortened significantly the growth process before the two-leaf age, resulting in yield reduction but significantly increasing 100-seeds weight at three-leaf age; short day photoperiod raised contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase dismutase (POD) activiting, free amino acid (SAA), soluble protein (SPRO), gibberellin (GA), cytokinin (CTK), abscisic acid (ABA), and GA / ABA as well as dismutase significantly. There was significant difference in growth, physiological and yield for adzukibean at different leaf ages between different development periods, showing that the effect is more significant in the early development period, and at younger leaf age.

Key words: Adzuki bean, Seedling period, Leaf ages, Short-Day photoperiod, Effect