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Reduced Tillering Spring Wheats for Heavy Textured Soils in a Semi‐arid Mediterranean Environment
Author(s) -
Yunusa I. A. M.,
Sedgley R. H.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1992.tb00994.x
Subject(s) - ideotype , agronomy , anthesis , leaf area index , canopy , tiller (botany) , soil water , water use , pasture , arid , cultivar , biology , botany , ecology , paleontology
Low tillering lines of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), were evaluated for their ability to conform to a high yielding ideotype in a dryland environment with spring drought. The ideotype was based on a concept of saving water as a result of reduced canopy development before anthesis; this should improve moisture supply for grain filling, thus reducing the effect of drought. Five genotypes were compared under two nitrogen (N) levels, and at similar plant densities, at a site in the drier wheatbelt area of southwestern Australia. The genotypes formed three tillering groups based on the maximum number of culms produced: a free tillering group (G1), which included the standard cultivar Gamenya , with 4.3 culms per plant, an intermediate tillering group (G2) with 3.2 culms per plant, and a low ullenng group (G3) with 2.4 culms per plant. Leaf area indices (LAI) were strongly affected by N but this was not reflected in total water use and biological yield. However, water was prematurely depleted before anthesis as a result of rapid early leaf development in response to N, and this reduced grain yield. Reduced tillering produced no significant increase in gram yield over the controls; fewer tillers per plant failed to suppress LAI development and water‐use before anthesis because of a compensating increase in LAI; this resulted from a greater leaf size in the reduced tillering lines. Hence the low tillering lines did not fully conform to the requirements of the ideotype. The development of low tillering lines is seen as a significant advance towards the ideotype; with yields comparable to commercial cultivars grown in the region, their performance indicates a potential for substantially higher yields if compensating increases in leaf development can be suppressed.