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Environment, Cultivar, and Ethephon Rate Interactions in Barley
Author(s) -
Stobbe E. H.,
Moes J.,
Bahry R. W.,
Visser R.,
Iverson A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1992.00021962008400050006x
Subject(s) - ethephon , cultivar , agronomy , yield (engineering) , hordeum vulgare , loam , mathematics , horticulture , biology , poaceae , materials science , ethylene , ecology , biochemistry , soil water , metallurgy , catalysis
Ethephon[(2‐chloroethyl)phosphonic acid] reduces barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) plant height and lodging potential, but variable effects on yield components and yield also have been reported, depending on ethephon rate, cultivar, and environment. This study was conducted to investigate environment– and cultivar–by‐ethephon‐rate interactions for barley grown under Manitoba conditions. ‘Argyle’, ‘Bedford’, and ‘Samson’ barley were sown on each of two dates in 1986 and 1987, and on single dates in 1988 and 1989, at Portage la Prairie, MB on Neuhorst clay loam (fine‐loamy, frigid aquic Haploboroll). Ethephon was applied at Zadoks GS45‐47 at 0, 120, 240, 360, or 480 g ha −1 . Plant height, Belgian lodging index, yield components, and yield were determined at maturity. Plant height reductions due to ethephon were unaffected by environment, and the percentage height reduction was described as a quadratic function of ethephon rate with higher increments of ethephon producing smaller increments of height reduction. Lodging only occurred in 1986, and ethephon at 240 g ha −1 eliminated lodging in most cases. Environment‐by‐cultivar‐by‐ethephon treatment interactions are significant for grain yield, spikes per square meter, and kernels per spike. Grain yield was not consistently affected by ethephon. Spikes per square meter sometimes increased, but was more often unaffected by ethephon. Kernels per spike was often reduced by ethephon. Kernel mass decreased with increasing rates of ethephon for Argyle and Bedford, but remained stable for Samson. Grain yield increased for Argyle and Bedford in cases where ethephon reduced lodging and increased spikes per square meter. Grain yield tended to decrease in cases where lodging was not a factor and ethephon reduced kernels per spike and/or kernel mass. Year‐to‐year variation in rainfall amount and distribution, and temperature may explain some of the observations made. In Manitoba, a maximum rate of 240 g ha −1 of ethephon should be used only in cases where the risk of severe lodging is high.