Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-dwq4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T20:26:31.306Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Physiological aspects of tiller removal in spring wheat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

G. B. S. Mohamed  and
C. Marshall
G. B. S. Mohamed
Affiliation:
School of Plant Biology, University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL51 2UW
C. Marshall
Affiliation:
School of Plant Biology, University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL51 2UW
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The effect of tiller removal on the growth and development of the main shoot of spring wheat was investigated in plants grown in a glasshouse or growth cabinets. The removal of tillers at different stages from just prior to flag leaf appearance to 10 days after anthesis greatly increased the grain and straw yield of the main shoot. The earlier the tillers were removed the greater was the increase in yield. The increase in grain production was due to an increase in the number of grains per spikelet particularly in the mid and lower regions of the ear. The nitrogen content of the grain was also increased following tiller removal. Additional mineral nutrients supplied either early or late were accumulated by the grain but did not influence the response to tiller removal and it was concluded that neither the number of grains set nor grain growth were limited by the supply of major nutrients. Additional nutrients however greatly increased the yield of tillers and this was associated with a large increase in the grain N, P and K percentages.

In a separate experiment tillers were removed just before ear emergence and the plants were transferred to growth cabinets with either a low or high light regime. Although grain yield was greatly reduced in the lower light regime tiller removal significantly increased the number of grains per ear but to a lesser degree than in the higher light regime. It was concluded that the supply of carbon assimilate was more important than the supply of mineral nutrients in influencing grain set.

The overall response to tiller removal suggests that tillers compete with the main shoot for assimilate and as a result the potential growth and yield of the latter is greatly restricted.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 93 , Issue 2 , October 1979 , pp. 457 - 463
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, S. E., Grimshaw, H. M., Parkinson, J. A. & Quarmby, C. (1974). Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. London: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Botting, A. H. & Drennan, D. S. H. (1966). Some aspects of the morphology and physiology of cereals in the vegetative phase. In Growth of Cereals and Grasses (ed. Milthorpe, F. L. and Ivins, J. D.), pp. 20–38. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Donald, C. M. (1968). The breeding of crop ideotypes. Euphytica 17, 385–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, L. T., Bingham, J. & Roskams, M. A. (1972). The pattern of grain set within ears of wheat. Australian Journal of Biological Science 25, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hewitt, E. J. (1966). Sand and Water Culture Methods Used in the Study of Plant Nutrition. Technical communication No. 2 (second edition), Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau.Google Scholar
Jones, H. G. & Kirby, E. J. M. (1977). Effects of manipulation of number of tillers and water supply on grain yield in barley. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 391–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirby, E. J. M. & Jones, H. G. (1977). The relations between the main shoot and tillers in barley plants. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 381–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyahoza, F., Marshall, C. & Sagar, G. R. (1974). Assimilate distribution in Poa pratensis L. – a quantitative study. Weed Research 14, 251–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ong, C. K. & Marshall, C. (1975). Assimilate distribution in Poa annua L. Annals of Botany 39, 413–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ong, C. K., Marshall, C. & Sagar, G. R. (1978). The physiology of tiller death in grasses. 2. Causes of tiller death in a grass sward. Journal of the British Grassland Society 33, 205–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patrick, J. W. (1972). Distribution of assimilate during stem elongation in wheat. Australian Journal of Biological Science 25, 455–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinlan, J. D. & Sagar, G. R. (1962). An autoradiographic study of the movement of 14C-labelled assimilates in the developing wheat plant. Weed Research 2, 264–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rawson, H. M. & Hofstra, G. (1969). Translocation and remobilization of 14C assimilated at different stages by each leaf of the wheat plant. Australian Journal of Biological Science 22, 321–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rawson, H. M. & Ruwali, K. N. (1972). Branched ears in wheat and yield determination. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 23, 551–559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, H. F. (1933). The physiological relations between tillers of a wheat plant. Journal of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Australia 34, 32–42.Google Scholar
Tinker, M. A. & Jones, M. G. (1931). Yield studies on oats. III. The inter-relationships of the parts of the plant during development. Annala of Applied Biology 18, 37–53.Google Scholar
Walpole, P. R. & Morgan, D. G. (1973). The effect of floret sterilization on grain number and grain weight in wheat ears. Annals of Botany 37, 1041–1048.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardlaw, I. F. (1970). The early stages of grain development in wheat: response to light and temperaoat in a single variety. Australian Journal of Biological Science 23, 765–774.CrossRefGoogle Scholar