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Yield enhancement by short‐term imposition of severe water deficit in the vegetative growth stage of grain sorghum
Author(s) -
Adams C. B.,
Erickson J. E.
Publication year - 2017
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/jac.12216
Subject(s) - sorghum , agronomy , vegetative reproduction , shoot , yield (engineering) , crop , biology , grain yield , biomass (ecology) , leaf area index , materials science , metallurgy
Water deficit is generally thought to negatively impact crop yields, including grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L.), but a small body of literature reports changes in crop physiology and growth in plants with short‐term imposition of water deficit during vegetative development that could lead to increased yield. In a replicated and repeated pot experiment in which water deficit was imposed for 10‐day periods in grain sorghum plants that were otherwise well‐watered, we tested the hypothesis that relatively severe, short‐term water deficit imposed during early vegetative development could enhance grain sorghum yield. The results showed that severe water deficit (~30% of control ET ) imposed during two vegetative periods enhanced grain yield compared to continuously well‐watered plants by 21% ( p = .0356). Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot‐to‐root ratio. Yield enhancement was associated with a substantial shift in resource partitioning, as water deficit reduced root mass ( p = .0032), stem/leaf mass ( p < .0001) and total biomass ( p = .0005), resulting in a 60% increase in harvest index. Imposition of water stress during vegetative growth in sorghum can increase grain yield.