Assimilation of 14 CO2, assimilate translocation and grain yield in three primitive Nepalese varieties and a European cultivar (Senta) of six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) | Assimilation of 14 CO2 [carbon dioxide isotope], assimilate translocation and grain yield in three primitive Nepalese varieties and a European cultivar (Senta) of six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)
1982
Khalifa, F.M. | Marshall, C. | Daniels, K. | Witcombe, J.R.
Three primitive varieties of six-row barley from Nepal with different degrees of awn development were compared with a bred European cultivar, Senta, under glasshouse conditions, from anthesis onwards. Apart from the flag leaf the last three main shoot leaves of the Nepalese varieties were smaller than those of Senta, and the lower leaves did not become senescent during the first 3 weeks of grain filling. In all varieties the penultimate leaf was the major assimilatory organ but in Senta the relative contribution of the awns increased with time as the leaves senesced and fixed almost half of the total 14C assimilated by the shoot. Whereas the supply of assimilate to the ear increased with time in Senta, the reverse was found for the Nepalese varieties and overall a smaller proportion of assimilate was supplied to the ear in these varieties. The grain yield of the main shoot ear of the two Nepalese varieties studied in detail was one-third of that of Senta; there were only approximately half the number of grains in each median and lateral row of the ear and the grains were smaller. There was no correlation between the degree of awn development or the pattern of awn arrangement within the ear and the size of individual grains. The total biomass of the Nepalese varieties was much lower than that of Senta but there were no differences in the harvest index or in tiller production. However, the Nepalese varieties, in contrast to Senta, had a mean grain yield per tiller comparable to that of their main shoot and thus it appears that selection by plant breeding may have increased the dominance of the main shoot.
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