Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T16:45:54.076Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Variation in harvest index of modern spring barley, oat and wheat cultivars adapted to northern growing conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2007

P. PELTONEN-SAINIO ,
S. MUURINEN ,
A. RAJALA  and
L. JAUHIAINEN
P. PELTONEN-SAINIO*
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Production Research, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
S. MUURINEN
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Production Research, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
A. RAJALA
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Production Research, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
L. JAUHIAINEN
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Research Services, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pirjo.peltonen-sainio@mtt.fi
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Increased harvest index (HI) has been one of the principal factors contributing to genetic yield improvements in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. Although high HI demonstrates high-yielding ability when cultivars are compared, it can also indicate challenges to yield formation when comparisons are made across differing growing conditions. The present study was designed to investigate variation in HI among modern cereal cultivars relative to that brought about by a northern environment, to assess whether HI still explains the majority of the differences in grain yield when only modern cereal cultivars are compared, and to monitor key traits contributing to HI. Stability of HI was also investigated with reference to the role of tillers. Twelve experiments (3 years, two locations, two nitrogen fertilizer regimes) were carried out in southern Finland to evaluate 12 two-row spring barley, 10 six-row barley, 10 oat and 11 wheat cultivars. In addition to HI, days to heading and maturity, length of grain filling period, grain yield, test weight and 13 traits characterizing plant stand structure were measured and analysed with principal component analysis (PCA) to detect traits associated with HI and those contributing to stability of HI. Although only modern cereals were studied, differences among cultivars were significant both in mean HI and stability of HI, and HI was associated with short plant stature in all modern cereal species. Also, single grain weight was associated with HI in all species. Differences between, but not within, species in HI were partly attributable to differences in tiller performance. Grain yield was associated closely with HI except in two-row barley. It may be possible to further increase HI of wheat, as it still was relatively low. High HI did, however, not indicate the degree of success in yield determination when environments are compared.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 146 , Issue 1 , February 2008 , pp. 35 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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

REFERENCES

Austin, R. B. (1982). Crop characteristics and the potential yield of wheat. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 447–453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Austin, R. B., Bingham, J., Blackwell, R. D., Evans, L. T., Ford, M. A., Morgan, C. L. & Taylor, M. (1980). Genetic improvements in winter wheat yield since 1900 and associated physiological changes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 94, 675–689.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calderini, D. F., Dreccer, M. F. & Slafer, G. A. (1995). Genetic improvement in wheat yield and associated traits. A re-examination of previous results and the latest trends. Plant Breeding 114, 108–112.Google Scholar
Cattell, R. B. (1966). The scree test for the number of factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research 1, 245–276.Google Scholar
Darwinkel, A. (1978). Patterns of tillering and grain production of winter wheat at a wide range of plant densities. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 26, 383–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finlay, K. W. & Wilkinson, G. N. (1963). The analysis of adaptation in a plant-breeding programme. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 14, 742–754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischer, R. A. (1985). Number of kernels in wheat crops and the influence of solar radiation and temperature. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 447–471.Google Scholar
Garcia del Moral, L. F., Garcia del Moral, M. B., Molina-Cano, J. L. & Slafer, G. A. (2003). Yield stability and development in two- and six-rowed winter barleys under Mediterranean conditions. Field Crops Research 81, 109–119.Google Scholar
Hay, R. K. (1995). Harvest index: a review of its use in plant breeding and crop physiology. Annals of Applied Biology 126, 197–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martiniello, P., Delogu, G., Odoardi, M., Boggini, G. & Stance, A. M. (1987). Breeding progress in grain yield and selected agronomic characters of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) over the last quarter of a century. Plant Breeding 99, 289–294.Google Scholar
Mela, T. & Paatela, J. (1974). Grain yield of spring wheat and oats as affected by population density. Annals of Agriculture Fenniae 13, 161–167.Google Scholar
Michael, G. & Beringer, H. (1980). The role of hormones in yield formation. In Physiological Aspects of Crop Productivity, Proceedings of the 15th Colloquium International Potash Institute, pp. 85–116. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Pudoc.Google Scholar
Peltonen-Sainio, P. (1990). Genetic improvements in the structure of oat stands in northern growing conditions during this century. Plant Breeding 104, 340–345.Google Scholar
Peltonen-Sainio, P. (1991). Productive oat ideotype for northern growing conditions. Euphytica 54, 27–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peltonen-Sainio, P. (1999). Growth and development of oat with special reference to source-sink interaction and productivity. In Crop Yield, Physiology and Processes (Eds Hamel, C. & Smith, D. L.), pp. 39–66. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Peltonen-Sainio, P. & Järvinen, P. (1995). Seeding rate effects on tillering, grain yield, and yield components of oat at high latitude. Field Crops Research 40, 49–56.Google Scholar
Peltonen-Sainio, P., Kangas, A., Salo, Y. & Jauhiainen, L. (2007). Grain number dominates grain weight in temperate cereal yield determination: evidence based on 30 years of multi-location trials. Field Crops Research 100, 179–188.Google Scholar
Perry, M. W. & D'Antuono, M. F. (1989). Yield improvement and associated characteristics of some Australian spring wheat cultivars introduced between 1860 and 1982. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 40, 457–472.Google Scholar
Rajala, A. & Peltonen-Sainio, P. (2002). Timing applications of growth regulators to alter spring cereal development at high latitudes. Agricultural and Food Science in Finland 11, 233–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riggs, T. J. (1984). Plant breeding – potential for improvement of yield and grain quality. In The Nitrogen Requirement of Cereals. MAFF Reference Book 385 (Eds Needham, P., Archer, J. R., Sylvester-Bradley, R. & Goodlass, G.), pp. 5–18. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Riggs, T. J., Hanson, P. R., Start, N. D., Miles, D. M., Morgan, C. L. & Ford, M.A. (1981). Comparison of spring barley varieties grown in England and Wales between 1880 and 1980. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 97, 599–610.Google Scholar
Sadras, V. (2002). Interaction between rainfall and nitrogen fertilisation of wheat in environments prone to terminal drought: economic and environmental risk analysis. Field Crops Research 77, 201–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, S. R., Rasmusson, D. C. & Wiersma, J. V. (1982). Tillering in barley: genotype, row spacing, and seeding rate effects. Crop Science 22, 801–805.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slafer, G. A. & Andrade, F. H. (1989). Genetic improvement in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) yield in Argentina. Field Crops Research 21, 289–296.Google Scholar
Slafer, G. A. & Andrade, F. H. (1991). Changes in physiological attributes of the dry matter economy of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) through genetic improvements of grain yield potential at different regions of the world. Euphytica 58, 37–49.Google Scholar