Yield and water use of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in a Mediterranean environment: Cultivar differences and sowing density effects

Yield of eight wheat cultivars was evaluated under rainfed and irrigated conditions in a Mediterranean environment. Variation in grain yield resulted from variation in both aboveground biomass production and in harvest index. Under rainfed compared to irrigated conditions, grain yield, biomass and days to heading were decreased, whereas harvest index was increased. Grain yield of the different cultivars under rainfed conditions correlated with that under irrigated conditions in one of the two years. Among cultivars, harvest index under rainfed and irrigated conditions were correlated in both years.Water was used more efficiently for biomass production, and equally efficiently for grain production, under irrigated compared to rainfed conditions. Under rainfed conditions, crop water use efficiency was higher for cultivars developed for rainfed environments than for those developed for high-rainfall or irrigated environments. Cultivars with low-rainfall target environments had the lowest evapotranspiration under rainfed conditions. Under rainfed conditions, differences between the cultivar groups in crop water use efficiency corresponded with trends in water use efficiency of individual plants and with the ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration, measured on plants grown in a growth room.Early in the season, water was used more efficiently for biomass production at high sowing densities than at low sowing densities. Through faster biomass production and ground cover a smaller proportion of the evapotranspired water was lost in soil evaporation and a larger proportion was transpired. However, the net effect was a greater water use in the early phases of growth and consequently a lower water availability later in the season, leading to similar yields regardless of sowing density.     

Estimation of the chlorophyll content and yield of grain crops via their chlorophyll potential

The results of the assessment of the relationship between the chlorophyll content, crop yield and chlorophyll potential of crops of wheat, barley, and oat are presented. The results of a ground-based remotesensing technique and laboratory data were used to accomplish this assessment. The spectral reflectance data of agricultural crops obtained using a ground-based remote-sensing technique in the Krasnoyarsk region were used to calculate the chlorophyll potential. Long-standing experiments have been carried out in different seasons, under various lighting conditions. Spectral measurements were performed using a double-beam spectroradiometer, which was installed on a mobile work platform at a height from 5 to 18 m. A good correlation between the chlorophyll content, grain yield, and chlorophyll potential of different cultivars of wheat, barley, and oat has been shown. It was also shown that the values of chlorophyll potential are different for wheat, barley, and oat cultivars in the growing season.     

Grain yield and incidence of take-all (Ophiobolus graminis Sacc.) in wheat grown in different crop sequences

The yield of wheat and the incidence of take-all were measured in crops grown in six different 4-year sequences, repeated in 3 successive years. The first crop of winter wheat grown after oats or beans yielded 13–23 cwt/acre (1632–2887 kg/ha) more grain than wheat after wheat or barley. Spring wheat after oats yielded 2–5 cwt/acre (250–625 kg/ha) more than spring wheat after wheat. The smaller yields of wheat after wheat or barley were caused mostly by greater prevalence of take-all. Regression analysis indicates that each 1 % increase in straws with take-all decreased yield of winter wheat by 0·6%. Take-all was more prevalent in the second and third successive wheat crops after oats than in the fourth crop.     

The physiological response of winter wheat to reductions in plant density

The effects of reducing the plant density of winter wheat (cv. Haven) on canopy formation, radiation absorption and dry matter production and partitioning were investigated in field experiments in 1996/97 and 1997/98. Crop densities established ranged from 19 to 338 plants m^?2. Grain yield was maintained with large reductions in plant density. At low plant densities the relative growth rate of the crop increased allowing a maintenance of crop dry matter production. An 18 fold reduction in plant density led only to a six fold reduction in green area index at the beginning of stem extension and by anthesis the difference was less than two fold. Crops grown at low plant densities increased green area per plant through increased duration of tiller production, green area per shoot and shoot survival. Main stem leaf number, phyllochron and tiller production rate were not significantly affected by plant density. Radiation use efficiency was greater at the low plant densities. We propose that better radiation distribution through the canopy and increased canopy nitrogen ratio were the causative mechanisms for this increase in RUE. As a result of increased green area per shoot and a decrease in ear production, more radiation was absorbed per shoot at the low plant densities, allowing an increase in grain number per ear from 32 to 48.     

Fertilization regulates the response of wheat yield to interannual temperature variation in North China

Aims Understanding the effect of long-term fertilization on the sensitivity of grain yield to temperature changes is critical for accurately assessing the impact of global warming on crop production. In this study, we aim to assess the impacts of temperature changes on grain yields of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under different fertilization treatments in a long-term manipulative experiment in North China.Methods We measured grain yields of winter wheat under four fertilization treatments at the Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station each year from 1993 to 2012. We also measured air temperature at 0200, 0800, 1400 and 2000h each day since 1 January 1980. We then used the first-difference method and simple linear regression models to examine the relationship of crop yield changes to mean air temperature, mean daytime and nighttime air temperature in crop growing seasons.Important findings We found that increases in mean daily temperature, mean daytime temperature and mean nighttime temperature each had a positive impact on the grain yield of winter wheat. Grain yield increased by 16.7–85.6% for winter wheat in response to a 1°C increase in growing season mean daily temperature. Winter wheat yield was more sensitive to variations of nighttime temperature than to that of daytime temperature. The observed temperature impacts also varied across different fertilization treatments. Balanced fertilization significantly enhanced grain yields for winter wheat under a warming climate. Wheat plots treated with nitrogen and phosphorous balanced fertilization (NPK- and NP-treated plots) were more responsive to temperature changes than those without. This report provides direct evidence of how temperature change impacts grain yields under different fertilization treatments, which is useful for crop management in a changing global climate.     

Crop traits and the tolerance of wheat and barley to foliar disease

The relationship between yield loss and disease severity can differ widely between crops. This has given rise to the concept of disease tolerance, with some crops exhibiting a smaller yield loss under a given severity of disease than others. Genetic improvement to minimise yield loss under disease is an attractive goal, as it exerts little or no selection pressure on pathogen populations, and could form a useful component of durable disease management programmes. However, progress towards this end requires a thorough understanding of the phenotypic traits that influence the response of yield to disease, their genetic control and the possible trade-offs involved with other desirable agronomic characteristics. This paper examines the candidate crop traits that may confer tolerance of foliar disease in wheat and barley and reviews evidence of genetic variation in their expression. In wheat grown under the relatively low light conditions of North-West Europe, post-anthesis source (assimilate supply) and grain sink capacity (capacity for dry matter accumulation) appear to be closely balanced. Traits associated with maintaining post-anthesis radiation interception and radiation use efficiency in spite of disease may confer tolerance. The most promising traits include a larger flag leaf and compensatory increases in photosynthetic rate in non-infected parts of leaves. In barley, yield is often more strongly sink limited, and early-season disease management is required to protect the formation of potential grain sites. A wider range of potential traits may influence tolerance including compensatory adjustments in leaf growth and morphology, and differences in the sensitivity of tiller and spikelet mortality to photoassimilate supply. Different methods for quantifying tolerance are suggested depending on the trait of interest.     

Identifying the critical period for waterlogging on yield and its components in wheat and barley

Background and aims

Crop tolerance to waterlogging depends on factors such as species sensitivity and the stage of development that waterlogging occurs. The aim of this study was to identify the critical period for waterlogging on grain yield and its components, when applied during different stages of crop development in wheat and barley.

Methods

Two experiments were carried out (E1: early sowing date, under greenhouse; E2: late sowing date, under natural conditions). Waterlogging was imposed during 15–20 days in 5 consecutive periods during the crop cycle (from Leaf 1 emergence to maturity).

Results

The greatest yield penalties occurred when waterlogging was applied from Leaf 7 appearance on the main stem to anthesis (from 34 to 92 % of losses in wheat, and from 40 to 79 % in barley for E1 and E2 respectively). Waterlogging during grain filling reduced yield to a lesser degree. In wheat, reductions in grain number were mostly explained by reduced grain number per spike while in barley, by variations in the number of spikes per plant.

Conclusions

The time around anthesis was identified as the most susceptible period to waterlogging in wheat and barley. Exposing the crop to more stressful conditions, e.g. delaying sowing date, magnified the negative responses to waterlogging, although the most sensitive stage (around anthesis) remained unchanged.     

The response of barley to rainfall and temperature in different tillage and crop rotation systems in semi‐arid conditions

Barley is a widespread crop of choice in the Spanish agricultural farming. A 7‐year field study was realised to examine the barley yield data. Weather conditions were analysed and taken into account when considering the influence of the tillage systems (TS) and previous crop on barley. In general, barley yield increased with tillage intensity; however the analysis of tiller‐count and thousand‐grain weight of barley did not present significant differences within the different TS. Barley monoculture presented lower yield than the barley in rotation with fallow or vetch, especially in those years characterised by a greater annual rainfall than average over the 7 years of study (290 mm). Also, we observed that the presence of weeds was strongly influenced by the combined effects of the environmental conditions, TS, and previous crop. It was observed that high rainfall during sowing period or shortly after had a high positive impact on production efficiency and yields. Unexpectedly, the study demonstrated positive correlation between high December temperatures and resulting barley yield. It would be useful to take into account these results when selecting the crop variety for conservation planning in Mediterranean areas.     

Tolerance of wheat cultivars to root‐lesion nematode (Pratylenchus thornei) assessed by normalised difference vegetation index is predictive of grain yield

Tolerant wheat cultivars yield well when sown in fields infested with the root‐lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei, which is present in 67% of fields in the subtropical grain region of eastern Australia. Wheat breeding programmes require accurate phenotyping to select germplasm with superior tolerance to P. thornei. This study investigated normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a phenotypic tool to predict the tolerance of wheat cultivars on low and high P. thornei population densities. Three, 2‐year field experiments used a resistant and a susceptible wheat cultivar in the first year to develop low and high P. thornei populations. In the second year, 36 wheat cultivars were sown on these plots. A NTech Greenseeker was used to determine the NDVI of each plot at regular times during the season and grain yield was measured at crop maturity. There was an inverse relationship between P. thornei population densities and the NDVI for intolerant wheat cultivars. Regression analysis showed a highly predictive response between the yield tolerance index and NDVI with R² ranging from 0.85 (n = 36) to 0.93 (n = 36) for the three experiments. The area under the disease progress curve with respect to NDVI was highly predictive of yield tolerance (R² = 0.92; n = 36) when there were high populations (9,091 P. thornei/kg), but not when populations were low (578 P. thornei/kg). Tolerant cultivars can be identified by NDVI when sown on soil containing high populations (>2,500 P. thornei/kg) by measurement at approximately 1,000 degree days after sowing. Greenseeker is a valuable tool for wheat breeders to select germplasm with tolerance of P. thornei.     

密度、施肥对旱地春小麦产量、水分利用效率和籽粒养分含量的补偿效应

为了探明旱作条件下无机营养对作物产量和水分利用效率的补偿效应,我们在宁南黄土高原半干旱地区开展了为期两年的春小麦密度与肥料试验。通过4种播种密度和5种肥力水平的综合研究结果表明,在不同处理的籽粒产量和水分利用效率排序中,播种密度为500粒／m^2时,以施肥量90kg／hm^2N和135kg／hm^2P2O5处理的产量和水分利用效率为最大。与不施肥的对照相比,增施肥料与籽粒产量和水分利用效率的提高成显著的正相关关系,相关系数分别达到0．959和0．894,而播种密度则与产量和水分利用效率的相关性不显著。增施肥料虽然能够提高可育小花数,但随着播种密度的增大,穗粒数和千粒重反而呈下降趋势,表明可育小花数对肥料水平反应敏感,而穗粒数和千粒重主要受播种密度的影响。施肥能够促进春小麦根系的生长发育,特别是促进浅层根量的增加,增强了作物的水分养分吸收。另外,不同种类肥料配施的结果表明,单施P肥或者N、P、K配合施用,可使春小麦产量分别提高44．6％和55．4％。N、P、K配合施肥还能够提高品质,使籽粒中的P、N、K含量分别提高18．5％、18．4％和8．1％。上述研究结果说明,控制播种密度、改善土壤肥力对于促进旱地春小麦高效利用有限水分具有明显的补偿效应。     

The effect of applied sulphur on the growth, grain yield and control of powdery mildew in spring wheat

During the years 1998 and 1999, two field experiments were conducted at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK, to test the effects of soil‐ and foliar‐applied sulphur (S) in spring wheat. S was applied at 0, 20, 40, 60 kg ha^?1 in 1998 and at 60 kg ha^?1 in 1999, using CaSO₄ as a source for the soil application and micronised S (Thiovit, 80%), with and without an organosilicone adjuvant, as a source for the foliar application. Senescence was retarded and grain yield was increased in 1998, following application of foliar S in conjunction with the organosilicone adjuvant. Application of foliar S was associated with a reduction in the level of mildew (Erysiphe graminis) recorded on the upper leaves and ears of the canopy. In 1999, grain yield was unaffected by treatments. A low level of mildew in the crop, particularly on the ears, is thought to be the reason for the lack of response in spite of the fact that senescence was retarded with foliar S application. A combined application of foliar S and commercial fungicide (cyproconazole) to the crop appeared to be more effective at controlling mildew than either S or fungicide applied alone. The study shows that there may be a role for S in a low‐input/organic wheat production system, where there is a need to reduce artificial inputs.     

Mapping QTL controlling yield and yield components in a spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cross using marker regression

An RFLP map constructed from 99 doubled haploid lines of a cross between two spring barley varieties (Blenheim × Kym) was used to localize quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling grain yield and yield components by marker regression and single-marker analysis. Trials were conducted over three years. Genotype-by-year interaction was detected for plant grain weight and ear grain weight so they were analysed separately for each year. None was detected for thousand-grain weight and ear grain number so data were pooled over years. A total of eleven QTL were detected for plant grain weight over two years and fourteen for ear grain weight over three years. Seven QTL were detected for plot yield. The locus with the largest effect was on chromosome 2(2H)L and accounted for 19% of the variation in the progeny. Eight QTL were detected for thousand-grain weight and five for ear grain number. Many of the QTL detected were in comparable positions in each year. Yield and yield components were only partly correlated. Comparisons based on common RFLP markers showed that some QTL were found in positions similar to those identified in other studies. For a number of QTL the identification of linked markers provided suitable opportunities for marker-assisted selection and improvement of barley and reference markers with which to analyse the homoeologous chromosome regions of wheat and other cereals.     

基于生理指标与籽粒产量关系的小麦品种抗冻性分析

以20个冬小麦品种为材料进行盆栽试验,对其在低温胁迫条件下功能叶超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性,丙二醛（MDA）、可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖含量以及籽粒产量、千粒重和籽粒形态性状进行测定.结果表明：拔节初期麦苗经-4 ℃低温胁迫后,不同品种冬小麦籽粒形态性状和产量性状均发生变化,绝大多数小麦品种籽粒长宽比、圆度和不育小穗数均增加,籽粒等效直径和面积及千粒重和籽粒产量均下降.通径分析表明,拔节初期低温处理后,功能叶SOD活性和可溶性糖含量是影响籽粒产量的主导因素,其中SOD活性对籽粒产量的直接影响较大,直接通径系数为-0.578.以籽粒产量下降的百分数作为小麦抗冻性评价的标准,可将20个小麦品种划分为3类：强抗冻类型的济麦19、济麦20、良星99、山农1135、山农8355、泰山23、泰山9818、汶农6号和烟农21,弱抗冻类型的临麦2号、潍麦8号、烟农19和淄麦12号,而其余7个品种属中度抗冻类型.苗期综合评价值（D值）与籽粒产量下降的百分数之间呈显著负相关(r=-0.512*),说明小麦苗期抗冻性强有利于获得较高的籽粒产量.苗期是小麦抗冻性鉴别选择的重要时期.     

Yield Loss Caused by Pratylenchus thornei on Wheat in South Australia

A two-year field trial with 130 plots was conducted at Tanunda, South Australia. Ten cereal cultivars differing in susceptibility to Pratylenchus thornei, two poor host crops (non-leguminous), and a bare fallow treatment were used to manipulate the numbers of nematodes in the plots in the first year. Initial and final densities were determined for each plot and varied from 0 to 9,400 nematodes/200 g oven-dried soil at the beginning of the second year. A highly susceptible wheat cultivar, Warigal, and two wheat lines known to have some resistance to P. thornei, GS50A and AUS4930, were planted in the second year. High densities of P. thornei caused more extensive lesions and severe cortical degradation in roots of Warigal than in GS50A or AUS4930. There was a significant linear relationship between initial density of P. thornei and Warigal grain yield (t/ha), with the estimated regression equation Y = 1.86 - 0.0000557x, where Y is the grain yield in t/ha and x is the number of P. thornei/200 g oven-dried soil. High initial densities (9,000 P. thornei/200 g oven-dried soil) caused up to 27% yield loss of this commercial Australian wheat. In contrast, the yield of the two resistant lines was not affected by initial density, suggesting that both were tolerant as well as resistant in the field.     

Aspects in oat breeding: nutrition quality,nakedness and disease resistance,challenges and perspectives

Traditionally, the oat crop (Avena sativa) has been neglected in a number of respects, cultivated in cropping areas not optimal for wheat, barley or maize. In recent years the interest in oats has increased, particularly because of its dietary benefits and therapeutic potential for human health. The uniqueness and advantages of naked oats over other popular cereals, due to its potentially valuable nutritional composition, have been well studied and reported, opening new market “niches” for oats. Despite the well‐documented benefits, the status of the oat crop is still fragile, due to many reasons. The area cultivated for the oat crop is much less compared with other cereals, and therefore commercial efforts in oat breeding are less. Oat groat yield is lower than other cereals such as wheat and the nutritious uniqueness has not been reflected in agreeable market prices. The same price still exists for both naked and conventional/covered oats in the world grain market. The absence of visible market competitiveness, and some of the oat biological drawbacks, including low grain yield, keeps the oat crop as a lower profitability minor crop. This review is intended to analyse and summarise main achievements and challenges in oat genetics, agronomy and phytopathology to find possible ways of oat improvement and future perspectives for oat breeding.     

断根对冬小麦竞争能力与产量的影响

 采用简化的deWit替代系列法研究了盆栽冬小麦‘长武135’（Triticum aestivum cv. Changwu 135）在拔节初期断根对冬小麦根冠关系、竞争能力及其与产量性状的关系。无论干旱或湿润，单栽条件下断根降低了小麦的根冠比，在混栽条件下，断根小麦的相对穗重和相对地上部生物量均显著低于未断根小麦，说明断根降低了小麦的竞争能力。根冠比越大竞争能力越强，即作物的竞争能力与根冠比存在正相关关系。单栽湿润条件,断根降低了小麦的穗重和籽粒产量，而在中等干旱条件下，断根小麦穗重和籽粒产量高于未断根小麦 。说明在水资源充分的条件下，较高的作物个体竞争能力则具有较高的生产能力，而在水资源有限的情况下，降低作物个体竞争能力反而提高了群体籽粒产量。     

High night temperatures during grain number determination reduce wheat and barley grain yield: a field study

Warm nights are a widespread predicted feature of climate change. This study investigated the impact of high night temperatures during the critical period for grain yield determination in wheat and barley crops under field conditions, assessing the effects on development, growth and partitioning crop‐level processes driving grain number per unit area (GN). Experiments combined: (i) two contrasting radiation and temperature environments: late sowing in 2011 and early sowing in 2013, (ii) two well‐adapted crops with similar phenology: bread wheat and two‐row malting barley and (iii) two temperature regimes: ambient and high night temperatures. The night temperature increase (ca. 3.9 °C in both crops and growing seasons) was achieved using purpose‐built heating chambers placed on the crop at 19:000 hours and removed at 7:00 hours every day from the third detectable stem node to 10 days post‐flowering. Across growing seasons and crops, the average minimum temperature during the critical period ranged from 11.2 to 17.2 °C. Wheat and barley grain yield were similarly reduced under warm nights (ca. 7% °C^?1), due to GN reductions (ca. 6% °C^?1) linked to a lower number of spikes per m². An accelerated development under high night temperatures led to a shorter critical period duration, reducing solar radiation capture with negative consequences for biomass production, GN and therefore, grain yield. The information generated could be used as a starting point to design management and/or breeding strategies to improve crop adaptation facing climate change.     

Combining intercropping with semiochemical releases: optimization of alternative control of Sitobion avenae in wheat crops in China

Overreliance on pesticides has large environmental and human health costs that compel researchers and farmers to seek alternative management tactics for crop pests. For insect pests, increasing crop species diversity via intercropping and using semiochemicals to alter local arthropod populations have separately proven effective at reducing pest densities. Here, we combine these two tactics in an effort to gain better control of Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), the English grain aphid, a major pest of cereal production worldwide. We conducted field experiments over 2 years testing the effectiveness of combining intercropping of wheat and oilseed rape with release of methyl salicylate (MeSA). We found that maximum and mean aphid densities were highest in wheat monocultures, significantly lower in intercropped plots and MeSA plots, and lowest when intercropping and MeSA release were combined by obtaining highest densities of predatory lady beetles and parasitoids rates. Importantly, grain yield and quality showed a similar pattern: they were highest for combined intercropped/MeSA plots, intermediate in plots with intercropping or MeSA alone, and lowest in control monoculture plots. Our results suggest that combining these two tactics holds significant promise for improved management of aphid populations and emphasize the need to integrate alternative pest control approaches to optimize sustainable insect pest management.     

Contrasting performance of barley and wheat in a wide range of conditions in Mediterranean Catalonia (Spain)

Despite that the idea of better yield adaptation to low‐yielding conditions of barley than wheat is widespread, there have been few efforts in directly comparing their performance in Mediterranean conditions. We compared wheat and barley regional yields in 41 counties of Catalonia for the period 1992–2004. No differences were clear, particularly at low‐yielding conditions, with a trend for a better wheat performance in relatively high‐yielding environments. We then conducted field experiments during two consecutive seasons, sowing wheat and barley with six levels of nitrogen fertilisation under rainfed conditions (2003–04, experiment I) and two levels of nitrogen fertilisation and two water regimes (rainfed and irrigated) in 2004–05 (experiment II). In experiment I, wheat outyielded barley in treatments that received no N fertiliser (4.58 and 3.60 Mg ha^?1, respectively) indicating that the higher yield potential of wheat was associated with better performance in a condition of relatively low yield. In experiment II, wheat and barley yields were found not to be significantly different across all treatments (2.86 and 2.62 Mg ha^?1, respectively) or in the lowest yielding treatments (1.40 and 1.07 Mg ha^?1, respectively). Therefore, it seems that it may not be universally accepted that under Mediterranean conditions barley would unequivocally behave better than wheat.     

Contributions of climatic and crop varietal changes to crop production in the North China Plain,since 1980s

The North China Plain (NCP) is the most important agricultural production area in China. Crop production in the NCP is sensitive to changes in both climate and management practices. While previous studies showed a negative impact of climatic change on crop yield since 1980s, the confounding effects of climatic and agronomic factors have not been separately investigated. This paper used 25 years of crop data from three locations (Nanyang, Zhengzhou and Luancheng) across the NCP, together with daily weather data and crop modeling, to analyse the contribution of changes in climatic and agronomic factors to changes in grain yields of wheat and maize. The results showed that the changes in climate were not uniform across the NCP and during different crop growth stages. Warming mainly occurred during the vegetative (preflowering) growth stage of wheat and maize, while there was a cooling trend or no significant change in temperatures during the postflowering stage of wheat (spring) or maize (autumn). If varietal effects were excluded, warming during vegetative stages would lead to a reduction in the length of the growing period for both crops, generally leading to a negative impact on crop production. However, autonomous adoption of new crop varieties in the NCP was able to compensate the negative impact of climatic change. For both wheat and maize, the varietal changes helped stabilize the length of preflowering period against the shortening effect of warming and, together with the slightly reduced temperature in the postflowering period, extend the length of the grain‐filling period. The combined effect led to increased wheat yield at Zhengzhou and Luancheng; increased maize yield at Nanyang and Luancheng; stabilized wheat yield at Nanyang, and a slight reduction in maize yield at Zhengzhou, compared with the yield change caused entirely by climatic change.