Plant Height In Wheat Research Articles

Multi-element Interactive Improvement Mechanism of Coal Fly Ash-Based Soil Conditioner on Wheat.

Globally, coal fly ash (CFA) is a bulk industrial solid waste that is difficult to be disposed of, which posed serious environmental risks to the atmosphere, water, and soil. Besides, the food crisis outbreaks worldwide. In this case, the utilization of CFA to produce soil amendments is expected to improve the soil quality and to increase the grain yield. This paper took the soil conditioner prepared by chemical activation method as the research object, analyzed, and found out its mechanism when increasing the yield and improving the quality of crops. First, the simulated hydroponics method was used to identify the key yield-increasing factors in the soil conditioner as well as the effects of those factors by taking the plant height, stem thickness, dry weight, and fresh weight of wheat as indicators at the early stage of growth. Then, SPSS was used to analyze the interaction among K, P, and other four middle trace elements in the stem and the leaf of wheat. The results showed that for wheat seedlings, there were strong interactions between Fe and Mg, Mg and Ca, and Ca and Si. Fe had a significant enhancement effect on the fresh weight of wheat seedlings. Mg had a significant enhancement effect on both the fresh weight and dry weight of wheat seedlings. Si can greatly enhance the dry weight and plant height, and Ca can greatly increase the stem thickness. It was also found that the soil conditioner and the basic N, P, and K fertilizer had a good mutual promotion effect. Among the four elements, Mg and Si are the key growth factors. When the nutrient elements were relatively poor, the increase of Mg by 50% would lead to the growth of the fresh weight of wheat seedlings by 65%; when the content of active Si increased by 50%, the fresh weight would increase by 52%. Therefore, the soil conditioner prepared by modified treatment of CFA owns a good application prospect to increase the yield and quality of crops.

Foliar application of zinc improves morpho-physiological and antioxidant defense mechanisms, and agronomic grain biofortification of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under water stress

Agronomic biofortification with zinc (Zn) may be engaged to improve the nutritious value of food crops along-with tolerance to water deficit conditions. The Zn may increase plant resistance to water stress by boosting physiological and enzymatic antioxidants defense mechanisms. Major objective of this study was to investigate the effect of foliar applied Zn on grain zin biofortification and drought tolerance in wheat. Treatments include application of Zinc at terminal growth phases (BBCH growth stage 49 and BBCH growth stage 65) with five levels: 0 (control-ck), water spray, 5, 10 and 15 mM under two levels of water regimes; well-watered (where 80% water holding capacity (WHC) was maintained in the soil) and water stress, (where 40% WHC was maintained in the soil). Results revealed that water stress significantly reduced relative water contents, gas exchange attributes, plant height, yield and yield related attributes of wheat. In contrast, hydrogen peroxide, free proline levels, activities of malondialdehyde, and concentration of soluble protein were markedly increased under water stress condition. Application of various levels of Zn significantly improved the CAT, SOD, POD and ASP activities at 40% WHC compared with control treatment. Foliarly applied 10 and 15 mM Zn predominantly reduced the damaging impact of water stress by improving the plant status in the form of plant height, RWC and gas exchange attributes. Likewise, wheat plant treated with 10 mM Zn under water stress condition increased the grain yield by improving number of grains per spike, 100 grain weight and biological yield compared with control. Moreover, increasing Zn levels also increased Zn concentration in grains and leaves. Overall, this study suggests that optimum level of Zn (10 mM) might be promising for alleviating the adverse impacts of water stress and enhance the grain biofortification in wheat.

The blue light receptor CRY1 interacts with GID1 and DELLA proteins to repress gibberellin signaling and plant growth

Improvements in plant architecture, such as reduced plant height under high-density planting, are important for agricultural production. Light and gibberellin (GA) are essential external and internal cues that affect plant architecture. In this study, we characterize the direct interaction of distinct receptors that link light and GA signaling in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). We show that the light receptor CRY1 represses GA signaling through interaction with all five DELLA proteins and promotion of RGA protein accumulation in Arabidopsis. Genetic analysis shows that CRY1-mediated growth repression is achieved by means of the DELLA proteins. Interestingly, we find that CRY1 also directly interacts with the GA receptor GID1 to competitively inhibit the GID1-GAI interaction. We also show that overexpression of TaCRY1a reduces plant height and coleoptile growth in wheat and that TaCRY1a interacts with both TaGID1 and Rht1 to competitively attenuate the TaGID1-Rht1 interaction. Based on these findings, we propose that the photoreceptor CRY1 competitively inhibits the GID1-DELLA interaction, thereby stabilizing DELLA proteins and enhancing their repression of plant growth.

TaERF73 is associated with root depth, thousand‐grain weight and plant height in wheat over a range of environmental conditions

AbstractAP2/ERF is a plant‐specific transcription factor superfamily regulating plant growth, development and responses to multiple stresses. However, the roles of ERF genes in the growth and development of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) remain elusive. In this study, a novel ERF gene TaERF73 was cloned from wheat. qRT‐PCR analysis showed that TaERF73 is predominantly expressed in roots. It responds to treatments of auxin, MeJA, ABA, low temperature and drought stresses. Ectopic expression of TaERF73 in rice caused short root length, indicating that TaERF73 is a negative regulator of root growth. Four SNPs were detected in TaERF73‐4B coding region through sequence polymorphism analysis. A dCAPS (derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) molecular marker was developed based on the SNP at 119 bp (G/C) of TaERF73‐4B. Association analysis between genotypes and agronomic traits revealed that Hap‐4B‐2 is a haplotype of TaERF73‐4B associated with shorter plant height, higher thousand‐grain weight and longer root depth. The distributions of haplotypes in ten Chinese major wheat zones suggested that Hap‐4B‐2 has been positively selected in the breeding process. Together, the ERF gene TaERF73 is associated with root depth, plant height and thousand‐grain weight under drought, heat and well‐watered conditions. The molecular marker developed in this study could be a valuable source for marker‐assisted selection and genetic improvement in wheat.

The efficiency of some bioagent fungi in reduction of wheat seed decay and seedling damping-off disease with heavy metals interaction

Abstract. Madhi QH, Abass MH, Matrood AAA. 2021. The efficiency of some bioagent fungi in reduction of wheat seed decay and seedling damping-off disease with heavy metals interaction. Biodiversitas 22: 3984-3993. Biological control is an ecofriendly efficient measurement for disease control and heavy metals reduction in soils. The use of bioagent fungi such as Trichoderma koningii and Chaetomum globosum reduced the negative effect of pathogenic fungi that cause seed decay and the seedlings damping off wheat alone or by interaction with the concentrations of lead or cadmium, which increases the germination percentage of wheat seeds and reducing seedling damping off. It also reduced the severity index of wheat with pathogenic fungi and reduced the negative effect of interaction between heavy metals and pathogenic fungi on the severity index of the wheat. Results showed that T. koningii and C. globosum reduced the effect of the interaction of R. solani with 200 mg/kg lead to 57.7 and 55.4%, respectively and R. solani and cadmium 3 mg/kg with 60 and 61.6%, respectively. T. koningii and C. globosum also reduced the effect of the interaction F.solani with lead 200 mg/kg to 45.4 and 48.5%, respectively and F. solani and cadmium 3 mg/kg to 46.8 and 52.5% respectively. The bioagent fungi also increased the fresh and dry weight of shoot and root system, T. koningii significantly increased the fresh and dry weight of shoot in the presence of R. solani. The results also indicated that there was a high significant difference in the use of C. globosum in increasing the fresh and dry weight of shoot and root system. T. koningii and C. globosum significantly reduced the effect of interaction between the pathogenic fungi and low concentrations of lead and cadmium leading to an increase in the fresh and dry weight of shoot and root system. They also increased the plant height in the presence of pathogenic fungi as well as reducing the negative effect of the interaction between heavy metals and pathogenic fungi in the height of wheat plants. No significant interaction was observed between the low concentrations of lead and cadmium and pathogenic fungi in the presence of bioagent fungi. The results exhibited that bioagent fungi can reduce the negative effect of interaction of pathogenic fungi with lead and cadmium on the total phenols content of wheat leaves, and no significant difference was recorded in the treatment of low concentrations with the pathogenic fungi. Results showed that bioagent fungi can reduce the negative effect of the interaction of pathogenic fungi with lead and cadmium on the total phenols content of wheat plant leaves. No significant differences were recorded in the treatment of low concentrations with the pathogenic fungi in the presence of bioagent fungi. The two bioagent fungi increased the concentration of chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids reduced anthocyanin in leaves, and increased chlorophyll stability index compared to the control treatment.

Effects of Applied Ratio of Nitrogen on the Light Environment in the Canopy and Growth, Development and Yield of Wheat When Intercropped.

Changes in the light environment have an important effect on crop growth and yield. To clarify the effects of intercropping and the application of nitrogen on the yield of wheat and light within the crop canopy, the relationship between light and yield and their response to nitrogen fertilizer were studied. In a 2-year field experiment, the characteristics of growth, light, biomass, and yield of wheat were measured using three cropping arrangements (monocropped wheat, monocropped faba beans, and intercropped wheat/faba beans) and four levels of applied nitrogen, in groups termed N0 (0 kg/ha), N1 (90 kg/ha), N2 (180 kg/ha), and N3 (270 kg/ha). The results demonstrated that the application of nitrogen fertilizer increased wheat plant height, spike leaf length and width, and the number of leaves while significantly decreasing wheat canopy light transmittance (LT) and canopy photosynthetic active radiation transmittance (PART), by 7.5–71.1 and 12.7–75.1%, respectively. There was a significantly increased canopy photosynthetic active radiation interception rate (IPAR) of 7.5–97.8% and an increase in biomass of 9.6–38.4%, of which IPAR, biomass, and yield were highest at the N2 level. Compared with monocropping, intercropping increased parameters of wheat growth to varying degrees. Intercropping decreased LT and PART by 10.8–46.4 and 15.7–58.7%, respectively, but increased IPAR by 0.1–66.0%, wheat biomass and yield by 7.5–17.4 and 27.7–47.2%, respectively. The mean yield of intercropped wheat increased by 35.8% over 2 years, while the mean land equivalent ratio (LER) was 1.36, for which a values greater than 1 indicates that wheat and faba bean intercropping is advantageous. Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a very significant negative correlation between wheat LT and yield, while simultaneously demonstrating a very significant positive correlation between PART and IPAR with yield, indicating that the efficient interception and utilization of light energy in intercropping was the basis for the higher biomass and yield of wheat. In summary, wheat/faba bean intercropping and the application of nitrogen at 180 kg/ha were effective in increasing wheat yield.

Less N2O emission from newly high-yielding cultivars of winter wheat

A better understanding of wheat cultivar impact on field N2O emissions could provide important information for cultivar improvement and selection to meet food security and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. A 2-year field experiment was carried out from 2015 to 2017 on 12 leading cultivars released in the major winter wheat cropping regions of China since the 1940s. Field N2O emissions, wheat growth, and plant nitrogen uptake were determined. The results showed that both the cumulative and yield-scaled N2O emissions differed significantly among cultivars, varying on average from 1.64 to 2.10 kg N2O–N ha−1 and 232.65–529.37 mg N2O–N kg−1, respectively. As the wheat cultivar renewal progressed, the cumulative and yield-scaled N2O emissions declined significantly at the relative decrease rates of 0.2% yr−1 and 0.9% yr−1, respectively. In addition to wheat grain yield and biomass, amount of plant N uptake has been enhanced significantly over the past sixty years. The spike number per unit area, leaf dry matter, net photosynthesis rate, and transpiration rate also all increased, whereas wheat plant height decreased over the decades. Our findings demonstrate that lower N2O emissions can primarily be attributed to the greater N uptake of the newly high-yielding wheat cultivars, suggesting a great chance of ensuring food security and GHG mitigation simultaneously through cultivar selection and improvement.

Estimating canopy surface height of wheat and corn crops in reclaimed cropland using multispectral images from a small unmanned aircraft system

Crop height is useful to monitor the effects of cropland reclamation. Unmanned aircraft system (UAS)-based observation through digital cameras has exhibited significant potential as a cost-effective way to predict crop height. However, the performance of UAS-based multispectral images has not been adequately analyzed in the context of estimating crop height. Therefore, our study investigates the performance of UAS-based multispectral images in terms of modeling and extracting crop height by considering a region of reclaimed cropland as an example. A framework is developed to model and extract the height of wheat and corn plants, the point cloud of varying densities is generated using the images, and geometric and physical outliers are removed from the point cloud. The flight altitude, threshold of extraction, and format of the data are examined to accurately describe and verify the canopy structure. The results indicate that UAS-based multispectral images can be used to estimate crop height. The relative accuracy of the estimated height of corn (<6 % ) was higher than that of wheat (>9 % ), but the opposite result was obtained in terms of absolute accuracy. The estimated crop height was significantly correlated with the measured above-ground biomass and can be used to monitor typical reclaimed cropland.

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВЕГЕТАЦІЇ АГРОФІТОЦЕНОЗІВ ПШЕНИЦІ ОЗИМОЇ ПІСЛЯ ПОПЕРЕДНИКІВ БОБОВИХ БАГАТОРІЧНИХ ТРАВ

The article is devoted to solving the problem of increasing the yield of winter wheat crops when it is grown after the predecessors of six types of perennial legumes. The features of the passage of the growth and development phases of winter wheat plants in the spring are shown, depending on the predecessors. The dynamics of plant height in the spring-summer period is analyzed. The change in the density of winter wheat plants during the spring renewal of the growing season and at the end of the growing season was studied. The spring thinning of winter wheat plants, the coefficient of total and productive tillering are calculated. The total number of stems of winter wheat plants and productive stems is shown. The level of grain yield of winter wheat, depending on its predecessors, was investigated, and correlation-regression relationships between it and the factors of spring-summer vegetation of crops were revealed. A close correlation has been proved between the grain yield and the number of all stems, as well as productive stems of winter wheat plants on an area of one square meter, as well as between the grain yield and the height of winter wheat plants at the beginning of spring regrowth. It is shown that the most favorable growing conditions and the level of grain yield of winter wheat when growing it after various types of perennial legumes is observed after the predecessor of meadow clover, where the highest plant density at the end of the growing season was observed – 145 million pcs/ha, the number of total – 878 pcs./m2 and productive stems – 799 pcs./m2, as well as the highest plant height at the beginning of spring regrowth – 6 cm. This allows you to get a winter wheat grain yield of 5.8 t/ha without the use of mineral fertilizers. After white melilot, the yield of winter wheat was 10.2 % less and amounted to 5.21 t/ha; after sandy sainfoin – 14.% less – 4.99 t/ha; after the eastern goat's rue – by 21.6 % less – 4.55 t/ha; after sowing alfalfa – by 24.5 % less – 4.38 t/ha and after horned grass – the lowest yield – 4.03 t/ha, which is 30.6 % less than after meadow clover

Utilization of a Wheat50K SNP Microarray-Derived High-Density Genetic Map for QTL Mapping of Plant Height and Grain Traits in Wheat.

Plant height is significantly correlated with grain traits, which is a component of wheat yield. The purpose of this study is to investigate the main quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control plant height and grain-related traits in multiple environments. In this study, we constructed a high-density genetic linkage map using the Wheat50K SNP Array to map QTLs for these traits in 198 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). The two ends of the chromosome were identified as recombination-rich areas in all chromosomes except chromosome 1B. Both the genetic map and the physical map showed a significant correlation, with a correlation coefficient between 0.63 and 0.99. However, there was almost no recombination between 1RS and 1BS. In terms of plant height, 1RS contributed to the reduction of plant height by 3.43 cm. In terms of grain length, 1RS contributed to the elongation of grain by 0.11 mm. A total of 43 QTLs were identified, including eight QTLs for plant height (PH), 11 QTLs for thousand grain weight (TGW), 15 QTLs for grain length (GL), and nine QTLs for grain width (GW), which explained 1.36–33.08% of the phenotypic variation. Seven were environment-stable QTLs, including two loci (Qph.nwafu-4B and Qph.nwafu-4D) that determined plant height. The explanation rates of phenotypic variation were 7.39–12.26% and 20.11–27.08%, respectively. One QTL, Qtgw.nwafu-4B, which influenced TGW, showed an explanation rate of 3.43–6.85% for phenotypic variation. Two co-segregating KASP markers were developed, and the physical locations corresponding to KASP_AX-109316968 and KASP_AX-109519968 were 25.888344 MB and 25.847691 MB, respectively. Qph.nwafu-4B, controlling plant height, and Qtgw.nwafu-4B, controlling TGW, had an obvious linkage relationship, with a distance of 7–8 cM. Breeding is based on molecular markers that control plant height and thousand-grain weight by selecting strains with low plant height and large grain weight. Another QTL, Qgw.nwafu-4D, which determined grain width, had an explanation rate of 3.43–6.85%. Three loci that affected grain length were Qgl.nwafu-5A, Qgl.nwafu-5D.2, and Qgl.nwafu-6B, illustrating the explanation rates of phenotypic variation as 6.72–9.59%, 5.62–7.75%, and 6.68–10.73%, respectively. Two QTL clusters were identified on chromosomes 4B and 4D.

Estimation of mustard and wheat phenology using multi-date Shannon entropy and Radar Vegetation Index from polarimetric Sentinel- 1

Dual-pol Shannon Entropy captures the dynamic crop growth parameters. It was used to evaluate biophysical parameters of important crops using Sentinel-1 data. Improved phenology information is vital input to crop-growth models. Mustard experienced increase as it advanced in phenology but for wheat, decreased due to absorption. A significant relationship at initial crop stages (height < 150 cm and biomass < 5 kg m−2) R 2 =0.65 between Shannon Entropy (SE) and crop parameters, though less strong (R2=0.33) for entire mustard cycle and wheat (plant height < 80 cm and biomass < 6 kg m−2) was observed. The SE appeared sensitive to low-medium biomass and useful in monitoring crop phenology in low biomass and initial phenophases. The dynamic crop profile is manifested conjunctively as Radar Vegetation Index (RVI). Random Forest Regression (RFR) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) were evaluated to predict the phenophases. Phenology responses till peak/beyond were found to perform close to ground observations.

Physical Mapping of QTL in Four Spring Wheat Populations under Conventional and Organic Management Systems. I. Earliness.

In previous studies, we reported quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the heading, flowering, and maturity time in four hard red spring wheat recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations but the results are scattered in population-specific genetic maps, which is challenging to exploit efficiently in breeding. Here, we mapped and characterized QTL associated with these three earliness traits using the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) RefSeq v2.0 physical map. Our data consisted of (i) 6526 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two traits evaluated at five conventionally managed environments in the ‘Cutler’ × ‘AC Barrie’ population; (ii) 3158 SNPs and two traits evaluated across three organic and seven conventional managements in the ‘Attila’ × ‘CDC Go’ population; (iii) 5731 SilicoDArT and SNP markers and the three traits evaluated at four conventional and organic management systems in the ‘Peace’ × ‘Carberry’ population; and (iv) 1058 SNPs and two traits evaluated across two conventionally and organically managed environments in the ‘Peace’ × ‘CDC Stanley’ population. Using composite interval mapping, the phenotypic data across all environments, and the IWGSC RefSeq v2.0 physical maps, we identified a total of 44 QTL associated with days to heading (11), flowering (10), and maturity (23). Fifteen of the 44 QTL were common to both conventional and organic management systems, and the remaining QTL were specific to either the conventional (21) or organic (8) management systems. Some QTL harbor known genes, including the Vrn-A1, Vrn-B1, Rht-A1, and Rht-B1 that regulate photoperiodism, flowering time, and plant height in wheat, which lays a solid basis for cloning and further characterization.

Facile, Smart, and Degradable Metal-Organic Framework Nanopesticides Gated with FeIII-Tannic Acid Networks in Response to Seven Biological and Environmental Stimuli.

Nanopesticides were selected as one of the top 10 emerging technologies in chemistry that will change our world in 2019. Facile, smart, and degradable metal-organic framework MIL-101(FeIII) nanopesticides gated with FeIII-tannic acid (TA) networks are created using a universal strategy. The capping of the FeIII-TA network gatekeepers is instinctively oriented by the coordinatively unsaturated FeIII sites on the surfaces of the MIL-101(FeIII) nanocarriers; thus, their combination is perfectly matched. This is the first example that one smart gated nanoparticle is integrated with seven stimuli-responsive performances to meet the diverse controlled release of encapsulated cargos by the disassembly of the gatekeepers and/or the degradation of the nanocarriers. More importantly, each of the seven stimuli (acidic/alkaline pH, H2O2, glutathione, phosphates, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and near-infrared light of sunlight) is closely related to the biological and natural environments of crops, and the biocompatible nanocarriers are eventually degraded against bioaccumulation even if the nanopesticides enter crops. These mechanisms of the stimuli-responsive controlled release are identified and clearly elaborated. It is found that the natural polyphenol can improve the wettability of aqueous droplets of nanopesticides on model hydrophobic foliage for pesticide adhesion and retention. The nanopesticides encapsulated with the fungicide tebuconazole show high fungicidal activities against pathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani (rice sheath blight) and Fusarium graminearum (wheat head blight); good safety on seed germination, seedling emergence, and plant height of wheat by seed dressing; and satisfactory control efficacy in wheat powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis in the greenhouse. The nanopesticides have potential applications in the field for high quality and yield of agricultural production.

Application of Some Drought Stress Indices to Study Response of Durum Wheat Triticum durum to Different Levels of Water Depletion

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of five levels of soil water depletion from field capacity (30, 40, 50, 60, and 70%) on some growth, yield and yield components of durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) VAR-ACSAD/65, with testing ten stress and drought indices to indicate the suitable index that could be simply used to interpret drought stress conditions. Results indicated significant effect of soil water depletion levels on wheat plant height, tillers per plant, spikes per plant, spike length, and total chlorophyll content, increasing water depletion levels decreased all recorded data. The effect on spike numbers per plant; spike length; number of seeds per spike; 1000 seeds weight (gm); seed yield per plant; straw yield per plant; biological yield per plant and harvest index were negatively dependent on drought stress to the level of no seed yield under the highest water depletion level 70%. Drought indices could classify to three categories; unity to zero, zero to higher value, high values to lower values. The relationship between drought indices were either positive or negatively correlated to plant seed yield. All studied crop drought indices were suitable for studying crop drought cases. The wheat variety acsad/65 was sensitive to drought stress.

Assessment of Winter Wheat Plant Development during the Seeding and Tillering Stages According to the Earth Remote Sensing Data

Introduction. The importance of controlling the organogenesis stages is that it provides the opportunity to create favorable conditions during the development of certain elements of the yield structure by caring crops and influence the grain quality. The objective of the work is to define a connection between the Earth remote sensing data and the state of winter wheat plants in the initial period of their growth and development. Materials and Methods. The object of the study was the winter wheat plantings. The wheat varieties “Odisseya”, “Olympus”, “Niva Stavropolya”, “Victoria 11”, “Nastya” and “Firuza 40” were sown by plot in the experimental field. The industrial crops of winter wheat were studied to assess the state of the plants in the tillering stage in 2012–2013, 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 agricultural years. The Earth remote sensing data were obtained using the “VEGA” service of FBSI “Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences”. Results. The obtained function of the dependence of NDVI of winter wheat crops on the height and development stage of plants is a polynomial of the third degree and is characterized by high accuracy (Rcorr = 0.98). The analysis of the NDVI, RED and NIR data of fields on dates close to the dates of collecting plant samples showed a considerable degree of relationship between the vegetation index NDVI and height of winter wheat plants. In 2013, the correlation coefficient was 0.60, in 2014 – 0.66, in 2016 – 0.80, and in 2013–2016 on average about 0.85. Discussion and Conclusion. The studies have shown that the Earth remote sensing data can be used to assess the state and degree of the development of winter wheat crops during the seeding and tillering stages, including in the production conditions. To improve the accuracy of the assessment, it is better to use the spectral brightness values in the infrared region of the spectrum.

Contribution of green organs to grain weight in dryland wheat from the 1940s to the 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China

Eight dryland winter wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.), which were widely cultivated from the 1940s to the 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China, were selected and grown in plots, and two water treatments (irrigation and drought) were used to identify the contribution of ears, leaves and stems to grain weight and grain number associated with cultivar replacement. The plant height and stem dry weight of the dryland wheat decreased significantly during the cultivar replacement process, but there was a remarkable increase in the dry matter translocation of stems under irrigation. Shaded-ear and defoliation treatment could decrease the grain number and grain weight, and the grain weight was more influenced. Both the leaf and ear are important photosynthetic sources for dryland wheat, and the contribution of ear assimilates showed a significant increase over time; however, the contribution of leaf assimilates showed a negative correlation with cultivation over time. The accumulation of stem assimilates and ear photosynthesis both increased the grain weight potential. In the future breeding process, cultivars with more assimilates stored in the stem and greater assimilative capacity of ears, especially a greater contribution of ear assimilates, are expected to increase the grain yield.

Grain Yield and Quality of Winter Wheat Depending on Previous Crop and Tillage System

The effects of previous crops (soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera Metzg)), as well as of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), on yield and some quality parameters of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain were evaluated based on a four-year field experiment. Wheat was grown in a four-field crop rotation: Soybean—winter wheat—winter oilseed rape—winter wheat. The study revealed that growing winter wheat after soybean, compared to its cultivation in the field after winter oilseed rape, significantly increased grain and straw yield, as well as all yield and crop components evaluated. After the previous soybean crop, higher grain protein content, Zeleny sedimentation value, and grain uniformity were also found. After winter oilseed rape, only a greater value of the gluten index was obtained. Statistical analysis did not show the tillage system (TS) to influence the grain yield of winter wheat. Under the CT system, relative to NT, straw yield, number of ears per 1 m2, and plant height of winter wheat were found to be significantly higher. The NT system, on the other hand, beneficially affected the thousand grain weight. Wheat grain harvested under the CT system was characterized by a higher grain test weight, better grain uniformity, and lower gluten index than under NT.

Effects of mesosulfuron-methyl on growth and competitiveness of Aegilops tauschii and Triticum aestivum

Mesosulfuron-methyl has been widely used in wheat fields to control an annual weed Aegilops tauschii; however, the effects of mesosulfuron-methyl on competition between wheat and A. tauschii is not clear. In the present research, using wheat as an accompanying plant, a comparative pot experiment was conducted to see the effect of mesosulfuron-methyl on the growth and competitiveness of A. tauschii. The result showed that (1) under the CK condition (0 mg m−2, mesosulfuron-methyl), the plant height, tiller number and total biomass of A. tauschii in the mixed group were all significantly higher than those of wheat. This showed that A. tauschii is relatively more resource competitive. The relative yield (RY) of A. tauschii > 1, and the RY of wheat < 1, indicating that the competition between wheat and A. tauschii is less than the intraspecific competition of A. tauschii. (2) Results obtained from the relative electric conductivity (REC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and chlorophyll content in the group of A. tauschii only and wheat only were judged. In addition, the plant mortality, plant height, tiller number and total biomass change of wheat and A. tauschii in both the single and mixed species situations were also evaluated. From these observations, it is concluded that mesosulfuron-methyl treatment had a certain inhibitory effect on the growth and development of both wheat and A. tauschii. However, compared with wheat, A. tauschii have shown a certain level of resistance to low concentrations of mesosulfuron-methyl.

Pleiotropic function of the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE gene TaSPL14 in wheat plant architecture

Main conclusionThe function of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-BOX gene TaSPL14 in wheat is similar to that of OsSPL14 in rice in regulating plant height, panicle length, spikelet number, and thousand-grain weight of wheat, but differs during tiller development. TaSPL14 may regulate spike development via ethylene-response gene EIN3-LIKE 1 (TaEIL1), ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 2.11 (TaRAP2.11), and ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 1 (TaERF1), but not DENSE AND ERECT PANICLE 1 (TaDEP1) in wheat.The SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE gene OsSPL14 from rice is considered to be a major determinant of ideal plant architecture consisting of few unproductive tillers, more grains per spike, and high resistance of stems to lodging. However, the function of its orthologous gene, TaSPL14, in wheat is unknown. Here, we reported the functional similarities and differences between TaSPL14 and OsSPL14. Similar to OsSPL14 knock-outs in rice, wheat TaSPL14 knock-out plants exhibited decreased plant height, panicle length, spikelet number, and thousand-grain weight. In contrast to OsSPL14, however, TaSPL14 did not affect tiller number. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of genes related to ethylene response was significantly decreased in young spikes of TaSPL14 knock-out lines as compared with wild type. TaSPL14 directly binds to the promoters of the ethylene-response genes TaEIL1, TaRAP2.11, and TaERF1, and promotes their expression, suggesting that TaSPL14 might regulate wheat spike development via the ethylene-response pathway. The elucidation of TaSPL14 will contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie wheat plant architecture.