Abstract
AbstractA field study was conducted to investigate the effects of variation in levels of daily irradiance on the level of spike‐let abortion and the rate of development using two cultivars of spring barky (Hordeum vulgare L.), Schooner and Weeah. Three different irradiance treatments were imposed from the cessation of spikelet primordia initiation until anthesis: a reduced irradiance treatment (high competition treatment, HCT); an untreated control for medium competition treatment; MCT); and an increased amount of irradiance (low competition treatment. LCT). Variation, in natural daily irradiance (MCT) was imposed by either shading plants with shadecloth (HCT) or by exposing plants to relatively low inter‐row irradiance competition effects by obstructing adjoining plant rows with plastic mesh (LCT). The duration of the spikelet growth phase was longer by 5 days (Schooner) and 9 days (Weeah) for HCT when compared to MCT, but there was no difference in its duration between LCT and MCT. Spikelet abortion occurred at 8–16 days before anthesis, but this was dependent on treatment. LCT For both cultivars showed a trend towards higher spikelet numbers per spike, although the increase was not significant over MCT, and HCT was significantly lower in both cultivars. Grain yield and biomass were lower (P < 0.05) for HCT compared to both LCT and MCT.
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