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Quantitative characterization of proximate sensing canopy traits in the SoyNAM population
Author(s) -
Hall Ben P.,
Xavier Alencar,
Moreira Fabiana,
Casteel Shaun,
Rainey Katy M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.1002/csc2.20132
Subject(s) - canopy , biology , interception , agronomy , population , growing season , heritability , ecology , demography , sociology , genetics
The average increase of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain yield per year is not enough to meet the estimated need by 2050. Contributing factors may include narrowing genetic diversity in cultivated soybean germplasm arising from direct selection for grain yield and insufficient knowledge of the genetic influences on physiological traits associated with grain yield. Canopy development plays a critical role in the light intercepted by soybean crops throughout the growing season. Rapid canopy closure facilitates complete light interception and optimizes growth dynamics, ultimately increasing biomass accumulation and grain yield. This study sought to use ground‐based digital imagery as a phenotyping tool for quantitative characterization of seasonal canopy coverage and light interception in the genetically diverse Soybean Nested Association Mapping (SoyNAM) population. We took weekly measurements of canopy coverage from early vegetative to mid‐reproductive growth for 5,600 recombinant inbred lines during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. An asymptotic logistic growth curve fit to the coverage data allowed us to estimate daily changes in canopy coverage in the intervals between the sampling dates, enabling calculation of canopy dynamic parameters. These parameters included average canopy coverage, cumulative intercepted photosynthetically active radiation for the total sampling period, vegetative growth period, reproductive growth period, and the number of days required to reach 30, 50, and 70% canopy coverage. Variance component estimation showed that genetic differences among families significantly influenced variation in phenotypic expression for all canopy parameters. The narrow‐sense heritabilities for all canopy parameters were high ( h 2 = .81–.90), suggesting opportunities for genetic gains in canopy development through selection of superior genotypes.