Spike Height Research Articles

Farklı sulama miktarlarında yetiştirilen buğday bitkisinin su kullanma randımanı ile verimlilik parametreleri arasındaki ilişkiler

Bu çalışmada bitkiye yarayışlı su kapasitesinin %25, %50 ve %100’ündeki sulama koşullarında yetiştirilen buğday bitkisinin su kullanma randımanı (SKR), incelenen büyüme ve verim parametreleri arasındaki ilişkiler araştırılmıştır. Bitkiye uygulanan toplam sulama suyu miktarı 378 mm’den (%100 BYS) 286 mm (%50 BYS) ve 249 mm’ye (%25) düştükçe bitki boyu %14,5 ve %23.0, toplam biyokütle %37,3 ve %56,1, dane verimi %31,5 ve %53,3 oranlarında azalmıştır. Toplam biyokütle ve dane verimi için hesaplanan en yüksek SKR değerleri sırasıyla 1,49 g/L ve 0,67 g/L olarak %100 BYS da bulunurken, aynı parametreler için en düşük SKR değerleri sırasıyla 0,99 g/L ve 0,47 g/L olarak %25 BYS uygulamasında bulunmuştur. Sulama suyu miktarı, SKR ve bitki gelişim parametreleri ile önemli pozitif, transprasyon oranı ve hasat indeksiyle önemli negatif ilişki vermiştir. SKR değerleri bitki boyu, başak boyu, toplam biyokütle, dane verimi ve 1000 dane ağırlığıyla çok önemli pozitif, transprasyon oranı ve hasat indeksi değerleriyle negatif ilişkiler göstermiştir. Sonuç olarak toprak nem düzeyinin bitki gelişimi için önemli bir faktör olduğu ve aynı zamanda toprak nem miktarının azalmasıyla fotosentez oranın düşmesine bağlı olarak SKR, bitki gelişimi ve verim değerlerinin azaldığı belirlenmiştir.

A standard used for probe-tip diameter evaluation in surface roughness measurements using metrological atomic force microscope

Recently metrological atomic force microscopes (metrological AFMs) have been used for surface roughness measurements. The National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), AIST, provides a profile surface roughness calibration service using a metrological AFM based on ISO 19606:2017. This international standard requires evaluation of probe-tip diameter D and error in roughness measurements by using a standard plate with needle-shaped spikes before conducting surface roughness measurements. However, the conventional standard plate has several problems: (1) the needle-shaped spikes are too high, (2) the distance between spikes is too long, and (3) the spike curvature radius is not small enough, compared with AFM probe-tip size, which may lead to considerable uncertainty derived from probe-tip error evaluation. This study examined a new type of commercially-available standard plate as a candidate for probe-tip diameter evaluation. It features lower spike height and shorter distance between spikes in order to avoid probe-tip wear caused by repeated scanning. This study demonstrated that the overestimated uncertainty derived from probe-tip error evaluation can be corrected by using the new standard plate.

Dynamic behavior of a single bubble between the free surface and rigid wall.

The objective of this paper is to apply high-speed photography and schlieren method to investigate the bubble dynamics between the free surface and a rigid wall. The temporal evolution of the bubble shape and the free surface motion are recorded by two synchronous high-speed cameras. Experiments are carried out for a single bubble generated at various normalized stand-off distances from bubble center to the free surface and to the rigid wall. The results show that (1) three distinctive patterns are identified with the morphology of the bubble and free surface, namely single toroidal bubble without spike (STB), single toroidal bubble with a spike (STBS) and double toroidal bubbles with a spike (DTBS). (2) The dynamic characteristics of the bubble at collapse and rebound stage vary evidently at different patterns, including the bubble shape variations and free surface motion. In detail, the schlieren images show the formation and propagation of shock waves, which explains the radiative process of bubble collapse energy. (3) Qualitative comparisons are carried out for the bubble and free surface at the same pattern. And quantitative analyses are conducted for the jet velocity, bubble collapse position, bubble collapse time and spike height, etc. for different values of bubble-rigid wall distance.

Evaluation of friction using double cup and spike forging test for dry-in-place coating and forming oils

The friction characteristics of lubricants were evaluated using the double cup and spike forging tests. Friction calibration curves, i.e., plots of cup height ratio vs. punch stroke and spike height vs. punch stroke, were established through finite element (FE) simulations considering various friction factor values. The friction factor of the lubricants was determined by matching the relationships of the cup height ratio and spike height with the punch stroke obtained from experiments to those obtained from the FE simulations. Under the lubricating condition of dry-in-place coating with forming oil, the results showed that different tribo-testing methods yielded different friction factors. The friction factor determined was applied in the FE simulation of a cold forging process of a claw pole.

Characterization of Sodium Bicarbonate Transporters NBCe1 and NBCn1 as CO2 channels

The known “gas channels” are members of the AQP and Rh families, and appear to conduct CO2 mainly through the stable hydrophobic central pores of these multimeric proteins. The present work helps to define a new class of gas‐conduction pathway: transporters that may conduct CO2 through cracks that form transiently as the protein cycles through various conformations—much like H2O can leak through certain membrane proteins. To identify CO2 channels, we developed a novel tool—expressing AQP5 in Xenopus oocytes, followed by injection of small amounts of carbonic anhydrase II (CAII), and then exposure of the cell to CO2/HCO3− solutions. Cytosolic CAII promotes the consumption of incoming CO2, thereby maintaining a low [CO2] at the inner surface of the cell membrane, and maximizing the gradient for CO2 influx. A semiquantitative measure of this CO2 influx is the spiking increase in surface pH (DpHS) that occurs as CO2 enters the cell, lowers [CO2] at the outer surface of the cell membrane, causes some HCO3− in the vicinity of the membrane to undergo the reaction HCO3− + H+ ® H2O + CO2, and thereby replenishes some of the lost CO2. The pHS spike is greatest near time‐zero, when the inward CO2 gradient—and thus the reaction HCO3− + H+ ® H2O + CO2—is greatest, and then exponentially wanes as CO2 equilibrates across the cell membrane. Oocytes expressing AQP5 and then injected with Tris buffer (but not CAII) have a much greater DpHS than controls injected with H2O (not cRNA) and Tris (not CAII), confirming that AQP5 is an excellent CO2 channel. Injecting a small amount of CAII (dissolved in Tris) into oocytes not expressing AQP5 produces only a slight increase in DpHS because the rate‐limiting step is membrane CO2 permeability. However, for AQP5‐expressing oocytes, injecting this same small amount of CAII produces a very large increase in DpHS. In other words, the CAII‐dependent change in spike height—D(DpHS)—is much greater in AQP5‐expressing oocytes than H2O‐injected controls. We conclude that the measured D(DpHS) in ±CAII experiments is a powerful tool for assessing CO2 conductance. We applied this method to measuring the CO2 conductance of Na/HCO3 co‐transporters, NBCe1‐A and NBCn1‐G. Preliminary data show that, in the presence of cytosol CAII, D(DpHS) is >1.5‐fold greater in the oocytes expressing NBCe1‐A than the H2O‐injected controls, supporting the hypothesis that NBCe1‐A has a CO2 conductance. Similarly, D(DpHS) is >5‐fold greater in the oocytes expressing NBCn1‐G than the H2O‐injected controls, supporting the hypothesis that NBCn1‐G has a CO2 conductance.Support or Funding InformationSupported by grants GM111251 (the U grant) and N000141612535 (the MURI grant)

8-Nitro-cGMP modulates exocytosis in adrenal chromaffin cells

Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated production of cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cGMP) is a crucial signaling pathway that controls a wide array of neuronal functions, including exocytotic neurotransmitter release. A novel nitrated derivative of cGMP, 8-nitro-cGMP, not only activates cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), but also has membrane permeability and redox activity to produce superoxide and S-guanylated protein. To date, no studies have addressed the effects of 8-nitro-cGMP on exocytotic kinetics. Here, we aimed to assess the 8-nitro-cGMP-mediated modulation of the depolarization-evoked catecholamine release from bovine chromaffin cells. 8-Nitro-cGMP was produced in bovine chromaffin cells dependent on NO donor. Amperometric analysis revealed that 8-nitro-cGMP modulated the kinetic parameters of secretory spikes from chromaffin cells, particularly decreased the speed of individual spikes, resulting in a reduced amperometric spike height, slope β, and absolute value of slope γ. The modulatory effects were independent of the PKG signal and superoxide production. This is the first study to demonstrate that 8-nitro-cGMP modulates exocytosis and provide insights into a novel regulatory mechanism of exocytosis.

Genotype x environment interaction analysis of Triticum aestivum L. for yield components

Abstract. Genotypes performance changes due to environmental pressures or stresses and differences in their ability to adapt to the stress factors. Drought is the main abiotic stress factor affecting bread wheat yield and yield component. The experiment was carried out in the experimental field of Trakia Agricultural Research Institute, Edirne (Turkey), in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, and 15 wheat genotypes were planted in RCBD in a split-plot with three replications. The main plots were assigned to five moisture regimes, which included 3 drought stress environments, one non-stress and one non-treatment environment. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used to determine genotypes environment interaction. Grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, spike number per square meter, kernel and spikelet number per spike, length of spike and plant height were investigated. PCA indicated that the first (46.31%) and second (25.32%) components justified 71.63% of variations in the investigated yield parameters of the genotypes. Based on GGE biplot results, Kate A-1 and Tekirdağ genotypes were determined as the most stable cultivars for grain yield. Mean values of the genotypes varied between 3830-6583 kg ha-1 for grain yield, 20170-25394 kg ha-1 for biological yield, 68.6-110.9cm for plant height, 30.2-38.3 for kernel number in spike, 328.8-486.6 for spike number per square meter and 6.57-9.17cm for spike length. Clusters I and II were more clearly separated. In the first group of clusters 6 genotypes are located including one line and five cultivars. In the second group of clusters 8 genotypes are located including five advanced lines and four cultivars.

Medium-grown daylily flowering in the Republic of Mari El

Daylily (Hemerocallis) is a perennial herbaceous plant widely used in landscape gardening. Daylilies are prized for their long term flowering mainly in late summer and low maintenance cultivation. According to flower spike height, the varieties are divided into runt, medium-growing and tall. The article contains the results of the study of 21 medium-growing daylily varieties’ terms of flowering in the botanic garden of the Volga region State University of Technology (Yoshkar-Ola, the Republic of Mari El). The research was conducted in 2015 - 2017. The calendar dates were converted into a continuous series. All varieties were classified as early, medium or late according to the terms of the beginning and the end of flowering and its duration. During three years of research, the earliest beginning of the phenological phase was registered in 2016, and the latest one  - in 2017. The early beginning and ending of flowering were typical for the varieties “Dr Regel” and “Royal Sovereign”. The late beginning of flowering was registered for the “Country Club” variety, and the late ending - for “Sandalwood”. Other varieties were classified as medium-term. The varieties “Royal Sovereign”, “Tejas”, and “Sugar Candy” are characterized by a short flowering period, while “Sandalwood” and “Derby Bound” - with a long one. It was established that the late-flowering varieties are characterized with a longer flowering period.

Analysis of the pinch characteristics in a miniaturized repetitive plasma focus device

In this article, the experimental results of pinch characteristics in a miniaturized (20 J) repetitive Mather-type plasma focus device (SORENA-1) have been presented. Argon, neon and deuterium were used as working gases, and variations of pinch characteristics such as pinch time tp, negative spike height hp, pinch duration dt with working conditions (different gases, initial pressures and discharge voltages) were described and analyzed.

Constraining the Tail End of Reionization Using Lyα Transmission Spikes

Abstract We investigate Lyα transmission spikes at z > 5 in synthetic quasar spectra and discuss their connection to the properties of the intergalactic medium and their ability to constrain reionization models. We use state-of-the-art radiation-hydrodynamic simulations from the Cosmic Reionization On Computers series to predict the number of transmission spikes as a function of redshift, both in the ideal case of infinite spectral resolution and in a realistic observational setting. Transmission spikes are produced in highly ionized underdense regions located in the vicinity of UV sources. We find that most of the predicted spikes are unresolved by current observations and show that our mock spectra are consistent with observations of the quasar ULAS J1120+0641 in about 15% of the realizations. The spike height correlates with both the gas density and the ionized fraction, but the former link is erased when synthetic spectra are smoothed to realistically achievable spectral resolutions. There exists a linear relationship between spike width and the extent of the associated underdense region, with a slope that is redshift dependent. In agreement with observations, the spike transmitted flux is suppressed at small distance from bright galaxies as these reside in overdense regions. We argue that this anticorrelation can be used to constrain large-scale density modes.

Low Electron Carrier Concentration Near the p‐n Junction Interface: A Fundamental Factor Limiting Short‐Circuit Current of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells

A spike‐like conduction‐band offset (CBO) in heterojunction solar cells is shown to limit the short‐circuit current density (JSC) dramatically when the spike height is large. It is widely believed that the spike‐like CBO produces a potential barrier, which resists the photogenerated carriers flowing through the junction interface and thus decreases JSC. However, our device simulation studies on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells reveal that a large spike‐like CBO causes an extremely low electron carrier concentration in the near‐interface region of the buffer layer, which is the major factor that limits the carrier transport and thus JSC. If the near‐interface electron concentration is increased, JSC can be increased despite the fact that the large spike‐like CBO and potential barrier are still present. These results indicate that the near‐interface electron concentration is the fundamental factor limiting the JSC, more fundamental than the potential barrier. Therefore, not only the commonly adopted band‐alignment engineering, but also various other methods, for example, choosing buffer materials with suitable effective density of states, introducing favorable interface defects, or increasing the doping level, can be adopted for improving the current collection in heterojunction solar cells. Therefore, JSC can always be increased even when the large spike‐like CBO is inevitable.

English

Corn is a crop of high productive potential, but to achieve this, it is essential to apply production technologies, especially fertilizers with a high level of nitrogen. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of nitrogen fertilizer in different phenological stages on corn production. The experiment was installed in the experimental plot of the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Concepción, Concepción Department, Paraguay. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with 5 treatments and 4 repetitions. The treatments consisted of the application of nitrogenous fertilizer in the phenological stages V0, V3, V5, V7 and V9. Number of leaves on and below the spike, number of seed lines per spike, plant height, spike height and yield were evaluated. The obtained data was subjected to the analysis of variance by Fisher's test at 5%, when significant differences was detected, it was proceeded to compare the means obtained by the effect of the treatments using the Tukey test at 5% of significance. The results indicate that the application of nitrogen in different phenological stages of corn cultivation influenced the height of the plant, height of insertion of the spike and yield; not so, for: number of leaves above and below the spike and number of seed lines per spike. It is concluded that the application of nitrogen in different phenological stages of corn, has influence on productive characteristics of the crop. It was recommended that  it should be done in phenological stage V5, to achieve maximum efficiency. Key words: Zea mays L., phenological stages, nitrogen, fertilization. &nbsp

Numerical analysis of water exit for a sphere with constant velocity using the lattice Boltzmann method

In this paper, the three-dimensional water exit of a sphere with different vertical velocities is investigated numerically using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In this method, the liquid-gas two-phase flow is simplified as a single-phase free surface flow. To capture the free surface, a mass tracking algorithm is incorporated into the LBM. The gravity as a body force is introduced in the form of calculating the equilibrium distribution with an altered velocity, while the surface tension is neglected. Besides, the employed bounce-back boundary conditions are used for a moving sphere. What’s more, the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy (WALE) viscosity model is employed to capture the turbulent structures of the flow and stabilize the simulation. The accuracy of the numerical results is demonstrated through comparisons with the previous numerical and experimental results in the literature. The results show that the spike height is significantly influenced under the Froude number (Fr) below 4.12 and slightly affected under the Fr varying from 4.12 to 8.24. After the sphere exits water totally, the evolution of the free surface waterfall can be described as two phases and becomes more intense with the Froude number increasing. The non-uniform distribution of velocity results in the breaking of the free surface after the sphere completely exits the water. Moreover, the Reynolds number greatly affects the wake dynamics and hydrodynamics acting on the sphere when it moves beneath the water surface.

Phenotyping and evaluation of CIMMYT WPHYSGP nursery lines and local wheat varieties under two irrigation regimes.

Accurate evaluation of morphological and physiological traits is critical for selection of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars exhibiting high yield, which is stable over different growing conditions. In order to use selection index based on high yield, high grain quality and drought tolerance in wheat, a set of 145 CIMMYT Wheat Physiological Germplasm Screening Nursery lines and seven local spring wheat varieties were phenotyped and evaluated for physiological and yield traits under two irrigation regimes during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons in Xinjiang, China. The results showed that drought-stress significantly increased canopy temperature but reduced grain yield, grain weight per spike, normalized difference vegetation index at the flowering and grain filling stages, chlorophyll content at the grain filling stage, grain plumpness, grain number per spike, thousand-grain weight, and plant height. Grain weight per spike, plant height and grain plumpness explained 61.8% of the total phenotypic variation in grain yield under no-stress conditions, where they were the three principal factors most closely related to grain yield. Under drought-stress conditions, canopy temperature at the grain filling stage, plant height and grain plumpness were the three principal factors affecting grain yield, and contributed 44.8% of the total phenotypic variation in grain yield. Finally, ten genotypes, including three local varieties, ‘Xinchun 11’, ‘Xinchun 23’ and ‘Xinchun 29’, with appropriate plant height and high and stable yield under both no-stress and drought-stress conditions over the two years of trials, were identified and can be recommended as core parents for spring wheat drought tolerance breeding in Xinjiang, China.

Spatiotemporal pattern analysis of potential light seine fishing areas in the East China sea using VIIRS day/night band imagery

ABSTRACT Light seine fishing, one of the most efficient methods used in modern fisheries, is performed based on fish phototaxis. In this study, the East China Sea was selected as the study area, and fishing vessel pixels (pixels representing light seine fishing vessels) were detected in five years of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) day/night band (DNB) imagery according to three indicators: the Spike Median Index (SMI), Sharpness Index (SI), and Spike Height Index (SHI). Subsequently, cluster, barycenter, range and direction, and density analyses were conducted to comprehensively evaluate the spatiotemporal patterns of potential light seine fishing areas in the East China Sea. The following conclusions were drawn from the study: (1) the number of fishing vessel pixels exhibited obvious monthly characteristics that are consistent with the fishing moratorium that has been enforced in this region; (2) at the study area scale, light seine fishing occurred in one cluster, and the pattern in the interior of the cluster exhibited spatiotemporal periodicity; (3) the barycenter of the fishing areas displayed opposing movement trends in the first half and the second half of the year, and the movements were closely linked to water temperature changes. In addition, seasonally concentrated fishing areas were observed in winter, spring and summer; (4) the peak fishing month advanced from September to August beginning in 2014, and the fishing areas displayed a strong tendency in orientation that was highly consistent with the distribution of the Kuroshio Front in the East China Sea; and (5) light seine fishing activities were mainly concentrated in the second half of the year, especially in summer, but the intensity has declined in recent years. Our results are in good agreement with the results of other scholars and provide reliable information concerning where and when light seine fishing occurs. These results also suggest that VIIRS DNB imagery can be effectively used to detect light seine fishing areas.

Isolated terawatt attosecond hard X-ray pulse generated from single current spike

Isolated terawatt (TW) attosecond (as) hard X-ray pulse is greatly desired for four-dimensional investigations of natural phenomena with picometer spatial and attosecond temporal resolutions. Since the demand for such sources is continuously increasing, the possibility of generating such pulse by a single current spike without the use of optical or electron delay units in an undulator line is addressed. The conditions of a current spike (width and height) and a modulation laser pulse (wavelength and power) is also discussed. We demonstrate that an isolated TW-level as a hard X-ray can be produced by a properly chosen single current spike in an electron bunch with simulation results. By using realistic specifications of an electron bunch of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free-Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL), we show that an isolated, >1.0 TW and ~36 as X-ray pulse at 12.4 keV can be generated in an optimized-tapered undulator line. This result opens a new vista for current XFEL operation: the attosecond XFEL.

Variability, correlation, path analysis and stepwise regression for yield components of different wheat genotypes

In order to evaluate the variability and relationship between different wheat yield components, a randomized complete block design experiment with ten genotypes of wheat had been carried out during three growing seasons (2010-2012). The number of spikelet per spike and grain weight per spike had low genotypic and phenotypic variability, while plant height had the highest one. High heritability was observed for plant height (h2=93.1%), spike length (h2=92.3%) and spike density (h2=92.9%). The low heritability was found for grain weight per spike (h2=35.6%). Grain weight per spike was in significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation with all the traits (plant height, spike height, number of spikelet per spike, number of grain per spike and spike weight) except spike density. The spike weight had the highest phenotypic (rp=0.988), while number of spikelet per spike had the highest genotypic correlation with grain weight per spike (rg=0.981). Path coefficient analysis revealed that all the traits had highly significant direct effect on grain weight per spike, except spike length. The stepwise regression revealed that 87.1% of the grain weight per spike variation was explained by model which excludes spike length. Spike weight and plant height had the highest shared and unique contribution to grain weight per spike.

Studying the Impact of Water Supply on Wheat Yield by using Principle Lasso Radial Machine Learning Model

Wheat plays a vital role in the food production as it fulfills 60% requirements of calories and proteins to the 35% of the world population. Owing to wheat importance in food, wheat demand is increasing continuously. Wheat yield is committed to the availability of water supply. Due to climatic and environmental variations of different countries, water supply is not available in constant and desire quantity that is necessary for better wheat yield. So, there is a strong relationship and dependency that exists between water supply and wheat yield. Therefore, water supply is becoming an issue because it directly effects wheat yield. In this research, a Principle Lasso Radial (PLR) model is proposed using Machine Learning technique to measure the effect of water supply on wheat yield. In this Principle Lasso Radial (PLR) model, various experiments are conducted with respect to the performance metrics, i.e. relative water contents, waxiness, grain per spike and plant height. Principle Lasso Radial (PLR) model’s produced reduced dimensional data with respect to performance metrics. That data is provided to Radial Basis Neural Network (RBNN), and it showed regression values R under different water supply conditions. Principle Lasso Radial (PLR) model achieved an accuracy of 89% among variance Machine Learning techniques.

Heterosis and genetics parameters for yield and nutritional components in half-sibling maize progenies

The growing demand for maize creates a challenge to breeders, requiring the development of higher yielding and higher quality genotypes. The objective of this work was to estimate the most relevant heterosis, variance components and genetic parameters, and to use a multivariate approach to define narrow sense heritability profiles for yield and nutritional components in half-sib maize progenies. The experimental design used was random blocks, with a male parent (hybrid tester), five inbred lines (S5) as maternal parents and the progenies (hybrid Top Cross), totalizing 11 maize genotypes arranged in six replicates. Agronomic and nutritional characters were evaluated. Half-sibling progenies reveal greater additive genetic contribution to phenotypic expression through grain width and thickness, iron content, total flavonoids and carotenoids, soluble solids, and methionine. Narrow sense heritability values between and within progenies are higher for manganese content, glycine, proline and tryptophan. Regardless of the inbreeding line S5 used, heterosis gains are obtained for insertion of spike height, number of grain rows per spike, stem diameter, and zinc content, total carotenoids, soluble solids and pH. Specific heterosis’s evidenced for grain yield, glycine, serine, threonine, and phenylalanine. The multivariate approach used defines eight-character profiles regarding their genetic trends and indicates narrow sense heritability of the progeny mean as the major cause for this distinction.

Non-destructive, high-content analysis of wheat grain traits using X-ray micro computed tomography

BackgroundWheat is one of the most widely grown crop in temperate climates for food and animal feed. In order to meet the demands of the predicted population increase in an ever-changing climate, wheat production needs to dramatically increase. Spike and grain traits are critical determinants of final yield and grain uniformity a commercially desired trait, but their analysis is laborious and often requires destructive harvest. One of the current challenges is to develop an accurate, non-destructive method for spike and grain trait analysis capable of handling large populations.ResultsIn this study we describe the development of a robust method for the accurate extraction and measurement of spike and grain morphometric parameters from images acquired by X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). The image analysis pipeline developed automatically identifies plant material of interest in μCT images, performs image analysis, and extracts morphometric data. As a proof of principle, this integrated methodology was used to analyse the spikes from a population of wheat plants subjected to high temperatures under two different water regimes. Temperature has a negative effect on spike height and grain number with the middle of the spike being the most affected region. The data also confirmed that increased grain volume was correlated with the decrease in grain number under mild stress.ConclusionsBeing able to quickly measure plant phenotypes in a non-destructive manner is crucial to advance our understanding of gene function and the effects of the environment. We report on the development of an image analysis pipeline capable of accurately and reliably extracting spike and grain traits from crops without the loss of positional information. This methodology was applied to the analysis of wheat spikes can be readily applied to other economically important crop species.