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Distribution between parts of the main shoot and the tillers of photosynthate produced before and after anthesis in the top three leaves of main shoots of Hobbit and Maris Huntsman winter wheat
Author(s) -
THORNE G. N.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1982.tb00858.x
Subject(s) - anthesis , biology , shoot , agronomy , crop , horticulture , botany , cultivar
SUMMARY The top three leaves of main shoots in crops of Hobbit and Maris Huntsman winter wheat were exposed to 14 CO 2 at 22 and 16 days before and at 10 days after anthesis in 1978. The distribution of the 14 C recovered in whole plants at anthesis and at maturity was measured. There was negligible loss of 14 C between these two times, but some redistribution. The percentage in the tillers was negligible when the flag leaf (leaf 1) was exposed to 14 CO 2 , and otherwise less than 12% except for 14 C absorbed by the third leaf at 16 days before anthesis, when it averaged 26% but was very variable. When 14 C was supplied before anthesis, about 20% reached the grain whichever leaf had been supplied. The ear structures contained about 10% of that absorbed by the third leaf and 35% of that absorbed by the flag or second leaf. When 14 C was supplied after anthesis, the amounts reaching the grain from the different leaves were: flag 82%, second 68%, third 56%. Most of the remainder was in the stem. The exposed leaf never retained more than 6%. The amount of 14 C that moved from the stem to the grain between anthesis and maturity was about 50% greater in the semi‐dwarf variety Hobbit than in Maris Huntsman. There was no significant varietal difference in the percentage of post‐anthesis 14 C reaching the grain. The ear structures of Hobbit contained about a third more 14 C than those of Maris Huntsman. An additional 90 kg N ha ‐1 , which increased grain yield by 46%, had negligible effects on the distribution of 14 C.