Abstract
In a two-year field study, we quantified the impact of post-flowering soil waterlogging on carbon assimilation and grain yield formation in wheat crops. At anthesis, wheat cultivars YangMai 18 (YM18) and YanNong 19 (YN19) were waterlogged for different durations, i.e., 0 (W0), 3 (W3), 6 (W6) and 9 (W9) days using artificial structures. Changes in leaf physiology, carbon assimilation and biomass production were quantified at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days after anthesis under all treatments. Short-term (W3) waterlogging had no significant effect on wheat crops but W6 and W9 significantly reduced the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), leaf SPAD value, and grain weight of the tested cultivars. Increasing waterlogging duration significantly increased dry matter accumulation in the spike-axis + glumes but reduced dry matter accumulation in grain. Further, the tested cultivars responded significantly variably to W6 and W9. Averaged across two years, YM 18 performed relatively superior to YN19 in response to long-term waterlogging. For example, at 14 days after anthesis, W9 plants of YM18 and YN19 experienced a 17.4% and 23.2% reduction in SPAD and 25.3% and 30.8% reduction in Pn, respectively, compared with their W0 plants. Consequently, YM18 suffered a relatively smaller grain yield loss (i.e., 16.0%) than YN19 (23.4%) under W9. Our study suggests that wheat cultivar YM18 could protect grain development from waterlogging injury by sustaining assimilates supplies to grain under waterlogged environments.
Highlights
IntroductionSoil waterlogging affects 25% of the global wheatbelts [2], and in China alone, this damage accounts for 20–35% of the agricultural lands [3]
There was no significant effect of W3 on leaf SPAD values of tested wheat cultivars during both years
Our study suggested that post-flowering soil waterlogging (>6 days) accelerated leaf senescence, damaged chlorophyll (SPAD value) and reduced assimilation rates in the tested wheat cultivars
Summary
Soil waterlogging affects 25% of the global wheatbelts [2], and in China alone, this damage accounts for 20–35% of the agricultural lands [3]. Wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world, but it suffers significant yield losses when cultivated on waterlogged soils [4]. Insufficient root oxygen (O2 ) supply is a major waterlogging damage to crop plants [5,6,7], which inhibits root development [8], root-toshoot ratio, and root functioning. Inhibited root growth and nutrient supplies affect growth and functioning of above-ground plant parts [6]. The severity of stress and subsequent yield losses depend on several factors, such as stress duration [13], soil and climatic conditions [14], and the genetic background of the crops [11]
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