Agronomic and physiological traits related to the genetic advance of semi-dwarf durum wheat: The case of Spain

Abstract

Knowledge of the agronomic and physiological traits associated with genetic gains in yield is essential to improve understanding of yield-limiting factors and to inform future breeding strategies. The aim of this paper is to dissect the agronomic and physiological traits related to genetic gain and to propose an ideotype with high yield that is best adapted to Spanish Mediterranean environments. Six semi-dwarf (i.e. modern) durum wheat genotypes were grown in a wide range of growing conditions in Spain during two successive years. Diverse agronomic, physiological and leaf morphological traits were evaluated. Kernels spike −1 was the yield component most affected by the genetic gain. While no interaction between genotype and growing conditions existed for grain yield, the more productive genotypes were characterized by a plant height of around 85 cm, small erect flag leaves, more open stomata, a better balance between N sources and N sinks and a higher capacity to re-fix CO 2 respired by the grain. Moreover, in general the non-laminar parts of the plants play a key role in providing assimilates during grain filling. The high heritability of most of the studied parameters allows their consideration as traits for phenotyping durum wheat better adapted to a wide range of Mediterranean conditions.

Changes in Photo-Protective Energy Dissipation of Photosystem II in Response to Beneficial Bacteria Consortium in Durum Wheat under Drought and Salinity Stresses

“…Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is a very important worldwide food crop widely cultivated all over the Mediterranean basin, where it often suffers from multiple and coincident environmental stresses such as drought and salinity [1][2][3]. The primary negative effects of such abiotic stresses appear on the photosynthesis process and photosystem II (PSII) activity [2], by over-reducing of reaction centers in PSII, especially in plants without the ability to dissipate the excess energy [4].…”

Root Architecture and Functional Traits of Spring Wheat Under Contrasting Water Regimes

“…The rainfed agriculture of the Mediterranean regions is suffering from water shortages, which strongly limit current yields of wheat and other cereals (Richards, 1996;Chairi et al, 2020). Water deficiency in these regions is predicted to increment in the future because climatic change is reported to reduce precipitation and raise evapotranspiration (Carvalho et al, 2014;del Pozo et al, 2019a).…”

Environmental and Genetic Regulation of Plant Height in Soybean

“…A key component of ideal shoot architecture is plant height. In rice, wheat and maize, shorter stem lengths contribute to higher yields through improved resistance to lodging [3][4][5][6][7]. For instance, the wide-spread incorporation of semi-dwarf varieties into wheat and rice breeding programs throughout Asia in the 1960s and 1970s was an important factor in ushering the Green Revolution [8][9][10].…”