Abstract
Wheat yield components vary between different ecological regions and yield levels. Grain number responses to pre-anthesis dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) in increasing yield were always investigated in spike organs, neglecting the effect of non-spike organ nutrition or overall distribution. This paper determined the relationships between grain number and pre-anthesis DM and N in spike and non-spike organs under different yield levels, with using two sorts of field experiments (different water-nitrogen modes and cultivation management patterns) from 2012–2015 in Huang-Huai plain. The results indicated that improving yield under yield of <7500 kg ha−1 depends on increasing grain number per spike (GNs) or spike number (SN) or both, increased yield under higher yield of >7500 kg ha−1 mainly depends on GNs. GNs showed significant positive relationships with above-ground DM accumulation from jointing to anthesis under high or low yield levels. Rapid DM growth in spring achieves higher GNs. Spike and non-spike DM and N contents both demonstrated strong positive relationships with GNs, spike DM distribution also shows a positive correlation, but spike N distribution ratio show negatively correlation with GNs. Improved N distribution in non-spike organs and DM partition in spike organs conduce to increasing GNs.
Highlights
In recent years, the burgeoning world population means that a substantial increase in grain yield is needed[1,2]
Or below 7500 kg ha−1, relationship between yield components and yield showed larger differences, spike number showed significant negative correlation with grain yield when yield was above 7500 kg ha−1, but significant positive correlation under yield levels below 7500 kg ha−1; thousand grain weight showed poor correlation with grain yield under yield levels above 7500 kg ha−1, but significant negative correlation under yield below 7500 kg ha−1
These findings suggested that the function of grain number per spike (GNs) to improve yield is stronger than grain number per unit area (GNa) and yield improvements are mainly attributable to marked increases in GNs at high yield levels
Summary
The burgeoning world population means that a substantial increase in grain yield is needed[1,2]. Previous studies revealed a closely relationship between spike DM at anthesis and grains number in wheat[23,24]. Previous research suggests that GNa is related to both spike N and DM, few studies have examined the role of non-spike organ N or DM during the process of floret differentiation and grain formation. The aims were to: (i) identify the main factors of yield components in increasing grain yield under different production levels (>7500 and
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