Variation In Dry Matter Production Research Articles

Impact of Phenophase Wise Climatic Parameters on Growth and Fruit Yield of Autumn Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season 2019to study and identify the impact of weather on growth and fruit yield of tomato under open field Crop was planted on eight different dates viz., 02 Jul, 12 Jul, 22 Jul, 02 Aug, 11 Aug, 23 Aug, 03 Sep and 13 Sep as main plots and two cultivars viz., US 440 and TO-3251 (Saaho) as sub-plots in split plot design and replicated thrice. Result revealed that, significantly more yield attributes and fruit yield of tomato was recorded with maximum temperature range of 30.7 to 32.8oC during vegetative phase, morning Relative humidity (RH) of 88 to 92% during fruit development phase, Vapour Pressure Defficient (VPD) of 0.6 to 0.7 kPa and 0.4 to 0.6kPa during fruit development and harvest phase. Further correlation studies revealed that the most critical weather parameter from fruit initiation to first picking stage was morning RH as this was negatively correlated with drymatter production at fruit development (-0.93**), harvest (-0.95**) and total fruit yield (-0.91**) of tomato, which accounted for 86%, 89% and 83% variation in drymatter production during fruit development, harvest phase and total fruit yield respectively.

Variation in Dry Matter Production, Partitioning, Yield and its Correlation in Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Genotypes

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the world’s most popular oilseed crops. Nut yield in groundnut is polygenically controlled and is influenced by its component characters. A field experiment was conducted to study the variation in respect of kernel yield and its component characters along with dry matter production and partitioning at important vegetative and reproductive growth stages in nineteen genotypes of groundnut. The correlation studies were also conducted to prioritize morphological and physiological traits for improving yield. Genotypes exhibited significant differences among them in respect of kernel yield and its all attributes. Highly significant differences were recorded in respect of dry matter production and partitioning to different plant parts at pre-anthesis (30 DAS) and post-anthesis pod filling (60 DAS) stages.

Dry matter production, radiation interception and radiation use efficiency of potato in response to temperature and nitrogen application regimes

A meta-analysis of 12 irrigated field experiments conducted from 2003 to 2014 was performed to examine the combined effects of climate variability and nitrogen (N) application on dry matter production of potatoes in a humid temperate climate. Seasonal mean temperature ranged from 15.3 to 17.7°C while N rate varied from 0 to 180kgha−1. Statistical analysis using mixed modelling detected two clear features: Both temperature and N supply were important factors for dry matter production. Higher temperatures were associated with decreased dry matter production mainly through its negative effect on radiation use efficiency (RUE) when comparing inter-annual variation in dry matter production. The loss of tuber dry matter was c. 10% per °C, which is higher than estimated in previous studies. Specifically, compared to mean air temperature from end of tuber initiation to maturity, mean air temperature from emergence to end of tuber initiation was more important for dry matter production. N supply promoted dry matter production (p<0.001) mainly by increasing accumulated intercepted radiation during the growing season (p<0.001) rather than radiation use efficiency. Elevated temperature reduced the potential tuber dry matter production as well as the N supply that was needed to maximize tuber dry matter yield. Therefore, in a season when temperature is high, less N should be supplied to potato crops.

Effects of Planting Date on Winter Canola Growth and Yield in the Southwestern U.S.

Canola (Brassica napus L.) has potential to become alternative cash crop (healthy oil for human and meals for animal uses) with tremendous rotational benefits in the Southwestern U.S., a region dominated by cereal-fallow cropping systems. However, information on optimum planting date for its successful production is limited. Field experiments were conducted in 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons under irrigation condition to study the response of canola growth and yield to planting dates at Clovis, NM. Three planting dates (mid-September, late-September and early-October) and four canola varieties (early flowering: DKW41-10 and DKW46-15; medium flowering: Riley and Wichita) are studied. Fall plant stand density is significantly higher for early-October than mid- and late-September plantings. However, a ratio of fall to spring plant stand density indicates a greater reduction in spring plant stand density with early-October (25%) and mid-September (19%) than late-September (7%). Vegetative (by 13 days) and flowering (by 7 days) duration phases are significantly shortened with delay in planting. The decline in aboveground dry matter (DM) due to delayed planting resulted in significant seed yield reduction in both 2011-12 (26%) and in 2012-13 (8%) when early-October and mid-September plantings were compared. There was a positive relationship between final DM and canola seed yield, accounting for 84 and 34% variation for 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, respectively with the 2011-12 environmental conditions being conducive for genetically controlled variation in DM production to be more apparent and strong in explaining the variation in seed yield among varieties. Medium-flowering varieties produced higher DM (9741 vs. 8371 Kg•ha-1) and seed yield (2785 vs. 2035 Kg•ha-1) than early-flowering varieties. In addition to seed yield, DM can be used as an indirect selection criterion for seed yield in variety selection and appropriate planting dates including a guarantee for high crop residues (~75% of the total aboveground biomass) production to make canola a potential alternative cash and rotational break crop in the Southwestern U.S.

Seasonal variation of the productivity and quality of permanent pastures in Adisols of temperate regions

With the aim of evaluating the productivity (dry matter yield) and quality (protein and fiber) of pastures in temperate regions of Chile a long-term monitoring experiment was carried out in a representative farm in these regions. The study was carried during the years 2002 - 2012 in a farm located at Region of Los Rios, Chile. The study area was split into fifteen pasture sites, which were evaluated dry matter production by means of the standardized methodology, which considers the location on each pasture site a grazing exclusion cage. With the information generated during the 11 years of measurements, a trend pattern interpolation was developed by a polynomial regression model using fifth grade and centering the independent variable from the second grade on. Each result was classified according to the ranking provided by the BLUP methodology, comparing the results obtained with the average. The analysis of variance mixed model, determined by the variance components, indicated that 60% of the total variation in dry matter production is attributed to seasonality. Only 2.6% of the variation was attributable to the year while a 0.9% was due to differences between pastures sites, during the eleven years of study, with no significant data (p> 0.05). The seasonal distribution of production, concentrated its performance in spring and highest performing months were November, December, January. The quality measured as protein and fiber content of the pasture, does not present statistical differences between years and only differences were determined by seasonality.

Plant vigour at establishment and following defoliation are both associated with responses to drought in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).

Periodic drought events present a significant and, with climate change, increasing constraint on temperate forage plants' production. Consequently, improving plants' adaptive response to abiotic stress is a key goal to ensure agricultural productivity in these regions. In this study we developed a new methodology, using both area-based comparison and soil water content measurements of individual non-irrigated and irrigated clones, to assess performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) genotypes subjected to moisture stress in a simulated competitive environment. We applied this method to the evaluation of a full-sibling population from a pair cross between genotypes from a New Zealand cultivar and a Moroccan ecotype. Our hypothesis was that: (i) both leaf lamina regrowth after defoliation (LR) and plant vigour affect plant performance during drought and rehydration; and (ii) quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with plant performance under moisture stress could be identified. Differences amongst genotypes in dry matter (DM) production, early vigour at establishment, leaf elongation rate and LR were measured. LR explained most of the variation in DM production during exposure to moisture deficit and rehydration followed by plant vigour, indicated by initial DM production in both treatments and subsequent measures of DM production of irrigated clones. We identified two main QTL regions associated with DM production and LR, both during drought exposure and rehydration. Further research focused on these regions should improve our understanding of the genetic control of drought response in this forage crop and potentially other grass species with significant synteny, and support improvement in performance through molecular breeding approaches.

Assessment of the agronomic value of QTL on chromosomes 2H and 4H linked to tolerance to boron toxicity in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Improved boron (B) tolerance has been an objective of barley breeding programs in regions where B toxicity occurs. Traits associated with B tolerance have been mapped on chromosomes 2H and 4H and it has been proposed that these be used for marker assisted selection for B tolerance. However, there has been little or no improvement in yield using this strategy. This study examined the reasons for the small yield differences among different lines of barley that differ in B tolerance. Experiments used backcross lines derived from crosses between the B-tolerant landrace Sahara 3771 and two adapted recurrent parents, Sloop and VB9104. Lines with different combinations of the Sahara 3771 alleles on chromosomes 2H and 4H were grown over three growing seasons at sites where barley is prone to B toxicity. Grain yields of the backcross lines were similar to or lower than those of the recurrent parents despite showing differences in the expression of B toxicity symptoms and in B concentration in vegetative tissue. There were few significant differences in grain yield among the backcross lines. Variation in dry matter production among the backcross lines in each of the three growing seasons was unrelated to shoot B concentrations while grain yield was correlated with shoot B concentration only among the backcross lines of VB9104 in one season. In this case the yield loss was 4% per 10 mg kg-1 increase in shoot B concentration. Variation in shoot B concentration and yield across seasons was much greater than that observed among the different barley lines. Reduced B accumulation was associated with higher shoot sodium concentration among the Sloop backcross lines. The results suggest that yield gains from selection based largely on B exclusion and symptoms expression may be small and strongly affected by site and seasonal effects. In the regions where other soil constraints, such as soil salinity and micronutrient deficiencies are also important, reducing B uptake alone may have little effect on yield if these other soil properties are also limiting yields.

Genetic Variation in Dry Matter Production and Nutritional Characteristics of Meadow Bromegrass under Repeated Defoliation

Meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehm.) has gained interest as a highly productive pasture grass that can be used under management intensive grazing with limited irrigation. In 1999, 28 cloned parents and half‐sib families of meadow bromegrass were each planted in a randomized complete block design to evaluate genetic variation of meadow bromegrass for dry matter yield (DMY) (Harvests 1 to 6), forage quality under repeated defoliation (Harvests 1, 3, and 5), and investigate intercharacter correlations. Narrow‐sense heritability estimates and their standard errors for DMY at Harvests 2, 3, and 4 were 0.89 ± 0.32, 0.59 ± 0.28, and 0.53 ± 0.29, respectively. However, at Harvest 1 and 5, standard errors of the heritability estimates for DMY were equal to or greater than the estimates. All heritability estimates for crude protein (CP) were at least twice their standard errors at Harvests 1, 3, and 5. High narrow‐sense heritabilities at Harvest 5 for acid detergent fiber (ADF) suggest that selection on forage harvested later in the growing season might be more efficient than forage harvested earlier in the season. Combined across years and within harvests, narrow‐sense heritability estimates and standard errors for neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were 0.66 ± 0.29, 0.47 ± 0.30, and 0.71 ± 0.28, respectively. Based on correlations, it seems reasonable to assume that when selecting for increased DMY that ADF and NDF will increase and that CP and IVTD will decrease in this population.

Seasonal variation in productivity in semi-natural grasslands

The growth potential of four semi-natural grasslands with rotational grazing was studied during four growing seasons. A crop growth model was used to quantify growth potential and to separate the influence of weather variables from factors related to the plant stand. The investigation revealed a high variability in dry matter (DM) production among years during the study period due to weather. There was also found to be a clear seasonal variation. The general shape of the DM production curve, with a rapid spring growth (the maximum relative growth rate (R s )=0.16 g g−1 day−1), a midsummer depression (R s =0.06 g g−1 day−1), and a second peak of growth in late summer (R s =0.09 g g−1 day−1), was the same for all years and for all fields. The model underestimated production when cover of herbs was low in spring and overestimated production when cover of herbs was high in spring. The seasonal and among years variation in DM production entailed a parallel large variability in the numbers of grazing animals (from 11 to 43 heifers ha−1) the area could sustain.

Nutrient excretion by outdoor pigs: a case study of distribution, utilization and potential for environmental impact

Abstract. An increasing number of breeding sows is kept outdoors in Europe. Outdoor pig production has benefits in terms of animalwelfare but may have hidden costs through nutrient losses. We investigated the distribution of nutrients in sow paddocks and the consequence for losses and utilization in the succeeding crop. Significant correlation between soil inorganicNand the distance to feeding sites was observed after the paddocks had been used by lactating sows for 6 months (P&lt;0.01). Near to feeders inorganic N levels became extremely high whereas 30–40m from feeders some patches hadN levels in the topsoil corresponding to the levels in the reference area without sows. In the following spring only a minor part of inorganic N was still present in the top 0–40 cm. Similarly, extractable P and exchangeable K in topsoil were significantly affected by distance to feeders with the highest values close to the feeders (P&lt;0.001). In addition there were significant effects of the distance to huts with increasing nutrient content closer to huts. Although huge variations in dry matter production and nutrient content occurred in the succeeding potato crop, these were only weakly related to the distribution of nutrients (N, P and K) in the previous year, which explained 17%of the total variation in dry matter production. To increase nutrient efficiency in outdoor pig production a uniformdistribution of nutrients should be obtained by manipulating the excretory behaviour of the sows and stocking densities must be adjusted to locally acceptable nutrient surpluses.

Effects of soil water deficit at different growth stages on rice growth and yield under upland conditions. 2. Phenology, biomass production and yield

Phenological development, shoot dry matter production, grain yield and yield components of rice were examined in relation to drought occurring at various stages of growth. Rice was sown three or four times at three-week intervals in the field in each of two years, and performance in three stress trials was compared with that in corresponding irrigation trials, with the aim of quantifying the response of the crop to water stress of 23–34 days' duration developing at different growth stages. When drought occurred during vegetative stages, it had only a small effect on subsequent development and grain yield. The reduction in yield of up to 30% was due to reduced panicle number per unit area in one trial, and reduced number of spikelets per panicle in another. The effect of water stress on yield was most severe when drought occurred during panicle development. Anthesis was delayed, the number of spikelets per panicle was reduced to 60% of the irrigated control and the percentage of filled grains decreased in one crop to zero. This decrease in grain yield to less than 20% of the control was associated with low dry matter production during the drought period as well as during the recovery period following the drought. When drought occurred during grain filling, the percentage of filled grains decreased to 40% and individual grain mass decreased by 20%. The effect of stress was also related to its severity during grain filling. Stress at this stage hastened maturity. The results suggest that variation in yield components due to water availability is related to the variation in dry matter production at particular growth stages. Results of a supplementary shading experiment show that the relationship between spikelet number per panicle or single grain mass and crop growth rate was the same, whether growth rate was varied by availability of soil water or solar radiation. Filled-grain percentage, however, was more sensitive to drought stress than shading when comparison was made at a similar crop growth rate.

A comparative assessment of water use efficiency in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) grown in containers and in the field under water-limited conditions

SUMMARYWater use efficiency (WUE) was measured on fourteen genotypes of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown in containers under adequately irrigated and water-limited conditions. The genotypes used similar amounts of water but produced different quantities of dry matter. WUE accounted for &gt; 92% of the variation in dry matter production under both irrigated and water-limited conditions. There was a significant increase in WUE under water-limited conditions. Four genotypes selected from the container experiment as having either a high or a low WUE under non-limited or limited water input conditions were further tested under prolonged water deficit conditions in a field experiment. WUE varied significantly between genotypes and there was a positive correlation between WUE and the quantity of dry matter produced by the genotypes. The results suggested that, in three out of four genotypes, the WUE measured in the container experiment was positively correlated with the WUE estimated under field conditions.

Environmental and Agronomic Effects on the Growth of Four Peanut Cultivars in a Sub-tropical Environment. I. Dry Matter Accumulation and Radiation Use Efficiency

SummaryFour peanut cultivars of Spanish or Virginia botanical type and varying time to maturity were grown at a range of plant densities (44 000 to 352 000 plants ha-1) and spatial arrangements under irrigated conditions in sub-tropical southern Queensland, Australia. Total and pod dry matter production of the very early maturing Spanish cultivar Chico showed strong positive responses to increased plant density up to the highest density tested. Responses were less pronounced for the later maturing Spanish cultivar McCubbin and were minimal for the Virginia cultivars Early Bunch and Mani Pintar. All cultivars were insensitive to spatial arrangements. Accumulation of total dry matter, adjusted for the higher synthesis costs of oil and protein during seed filling, was well correlated to intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Much of the variation in dry matter production among cultivars and plant populations could be accounted for by the effects of differing leaf area duration on cumulative intercepted PAR. Radiation use efficiency was negatively associated with the canopy extinction coefficient (k) within most sowing dates, and also negatively associated with minimum temperature across sowing dates for all cultivars except Mani Pintar.Crecimiento y eficacia del use de radiación en el maní

Symbiotic growth of indigenons white clover (Trifolium repens) with local Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii

To study a possible adaptation of the symbiosis between white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii with regard to light and temperature at northern latitudes, local seed populations of white clover and isolates of R. leguminosarum biovar trifolii from 3 different latitudes in Norway, 58°48'N, 67°20'N and 69°22'N, were used. The commercial cultivar Undrom was used as a reference plant. The experiments were done at 18 and 9°C under controlled conditions in a phytotron during the natural growing season at 69° 39'N. Growth of the plants was evaluated by number and size of leaves, dry matter production and total N‐content. At 18°C the white clover plants were harvested twice while at 9°C there was only one growth period. The results from first harvest at 18°C and total growth at 9°C, showed that white clover populations from northern Norway had a lower growth potential than the population from the south and cv. Undrom. This difference was not apparent in the second growth period at 18°C. Growth of the plants from seeds to first harvest was enhanced by mineral nitrogen compared to plants dependent on Rhizobium only. However, after a second growth period dry weight and total nitrogen content of the plants with nitrogen fixation were comparable to the plants receiving mineral nitrogen. Statistical analysis showed that the most important factor for the variation in dry matter production was the plant population. Within the populations at 9°C and at first harvest at 18°C, there were no significant differences in dry matter production with different Rhizobium inoculum. In the second growth period at 18°C, different inoculum gave significantly different amount of dry matter within a population. The results showed a significant interaction between plant population and Rhizobium inoculum, and the results indicated that plants from the north gave higher yield when nodulated by Rhizobium from the north than from the south.