Hormone Regulation Effect of Blue Light on Soybean Stem Internode Growth Based on the Grey Correlation Analysis Model

Blue light serves as a critical environmental cue regulating Glycine max (soybean) stem morphology, yet the hormonal mechanisms underlying varietal differences remain unclear. Previous studies have highlighted the role of blue light in modulating plant architecture, but the specific hormone interactions driving morphological divergence between soybean varieties remain underexplored. Two soybean varieties with contrasting stem phenotypes-Henong 60 (HN60, tall) and Heinong 48 (HN48, dwarf)-were subjected to 0% (full light) and 30% (shade) transmittance conditions, supplemented with blue light (450 nm, 45.07 ± 0.03 μmol·m^-2·s^-1). Stem anatomical traits (xylem area, cell length), hormone profiles, and proteomic changes were analyzed. Grey correlation analysis quantified relationships between hormone ratios and plant height. Blue light increased soybean stem xylem area and diameter while reducing plant height and cell longitudinal length. This treatment concurrently reduced growth-promoting hormones (gibberellin A₃ (GA₃), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), brassinolide (BR)) and increased growth-inhibiting hormones (salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), strigolactones (SLs)), thereby inhibiting stem elongation. Although exogenous GA₃ promoted hypocotyl elongation, it failed to counteract blue-light-induced inhibition. Proteomic analysis identified 16 differentially expressed proteins involved in hormone signal transduction pathways. Grey correlation analysis highlighted cultivar-specific hormone ratio impacts: GA₃/JA, GA₃/SA, and BR/SLs significantly influenced HN60 plant height, while GA₃/SLs, IAA/SLs, and BR/SLs were critical for HN48, demonstrating highly significant positive correlations. The differential sensitivity of growth-promoting/inhibiting hormone ratios to blue light drives varietal morphological divergence in soybean stems. This study establishes a hormonal regulatory framework for blue-light-mediated stem architecture, offering insights for crop improvement under light-limited environments.