In general, leaf area index (LAI) was not significantly influenced by the shading treatments at 50% flowering both in wet and dry seasons (Table 3). However, the LAI decreased, ranging from 4 to 7% under the low light intensities in the wet season but similarly to unshaded control in dry season trials. The results of the present study are in contrast with earlier report. Low light intensity increased the leaf area in potato [16] and Pongamia pinnata [17]. For cultivars, the LAI was significantly different (p < 0.05) among soybean cultivars in both wet and dry seasons (Table 3). The cultivar RCM 1 gave the maximum LAI (6.3) in the wet season. The cultivar CM 60 gave the highest LAI (2.7) in the dry season. These results indicated that the late cultivar with longer vegetative growth had a higher LAI than the early cultivar in the wet season but not in the dry season