Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) are the three main cereals that account for the majority of calories in human diets and they will continue to remain the main sources of human nutrition. In order to meet the food demand of increasing population the only option left to increase production of these crops is to increase crop productivity per unit land area in the existing cultivable lands. Grain production of cereals is largely influenced by their yield potential. However, the terms ‘yield potential’, ‘potential yield’ and ‘maximum potential yield’ are synonymously used in the literature to describe different yield ceilings of crop plants without making a clear distinction among them. These terms have been defined in relation to the realized yield at farmer level. This review discusses the methods of estimating yield potential and potential yields of cereals, their physiological basis, and genetic improvement, with special reference to rice. The role of light interception, radiation use efficiency and harvest index as components of a varietal yield potential in relation to their genetic improvement and importance of improving varietal resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in relation to improving potential yield have been discussed.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) are the three main cereals that account for the majority of calories in human diets and agricultural production
Dawe and Dobermann (1998) defined yield potential of rice in a different context as the ‘maximum grain yield of a given variety in a given environment without water, nutrient, competition or disease constraints, which will be different in environments differing in temperature and solar radiation regimes’
Potential yield is the yield of a variety × environment combination under the best crop management and will be different in environments differing in temperature and solar radiation regimes for a given variety
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) are the three main cereals that account for the majority of calories in human diets and agricultural production. In crop improvement and plant breeding programs, scientists are compelled to estimate or predict the expected yield levels of crop varieties before actual yields are obtained, based on yield components and related vegetative characteristics, climatic factors, management practices, etc.
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