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Gas Exchange, Carbon Isotope Discrimination, and Productivity in Winter Wheat
Author(s) -
Morgan Jack A.,
LeCain Daniel R.,
McCaig Thomas N.,
Quick James S.
Publication year - 1993
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 - 10.2135/cropsci1993.0011183x003300010032x
Subject(s) - biology , irrigation , productivity , isotopes of carbon , cultivar , stomatal conductance , peduncle (anatomy) , agronomy , poaceae , water use efficiency , zoology , horticulture , botany , photosynthesis , ecology , total organic carbon , economics , macroeconomics
Leaf gas exchange theory indicates that carbon isotope discrimination (∆) is negatively associated with CER/g 3 (leaf CO 2 exchange rate/conductance). Discovery of genetic variation for ∆ in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and other species has generated interest in using carbon isotope discrimination in plant breeding. However, the hypothesized negative association between CER/g 3 and & has sometimes not been observed in field‐grown crops. In the present study, CER/g 3 , & of peduncle tissue, plant productivity and yield were examined in eight winter wheat genotypes under both irrigated and nonirrigated field conditions. Water stress‐ and genotype‐induced variations in CER/g 3 were more consistently correlated with variations in gs than with CER. However, low CER in ‘Bezostaya’ wheat resulted in a consistently low genotypic ranking for CER/g 3 . In 1988, values of CER/g 3 increased with water stress, while ∆ values dropped from 18.17 to 17.48‰. These results imply a negative relationship between CER/g 3 and ∆, consistent with leaf gas exchange theory; however, ∆ was both positively (1988; r = 0.83** [ P ≤ 0.01]) and negatively (1989; r = ‐0.79* [ P ≤ 0.05]) associated with CER/g 3 in irrigated plots. Positive correlations were obtained between ∆ and both biomass productivity (1988, r = 0.54*; 1989, r = 0.45 [ P = 0.08]) and grain yield (1988, r = 0.66*; 1989, r = 0.55*) when data were averaged across genotypes and irrigation treatments. Consistently low ∆ values were obtained for ‘Sturdy’, an early‐released, drought‐susceptible cultivar with low productivity. These results suggest that genotypic rankings for peduncle ∆ must be carefully interpreted, as low ∆ can be associated with low yield and stress susceptibility in wheat.