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GrainGenes Reference Report: AAR-55-855

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Reference	AAR-55-855
Title	The impact of plant breeding on the grain yield and competitive ability of wheat in Australia
Journal	Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Year	2004
Volume	55
Pages	855-861
Author	Vandeleur RK Gill GS
Abstract	Wheat cultivars Purple Straw, Gluyas Early, Federation, Nabawa, Sword, Ranee, Bencubbin, Gabo, Insignia 49, Halberd, Warigal, Spear, Excalibur and Frame, released to Australian growers over the last century, were examined to determine the impact of crop breeding on their competitive ability with weeds in Australia. In 1999 and 2000, the weed used in the field study was annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) and in 2001, oats (Avena sativa cv. Marloo) was the weedy competitor. In 2 out of 3 years (1999 and 2001), when leaf rust, Puccinia recondita, infection was not a problem, there were consistent trends for improvement in the yielding ability through breeding efforts over time. In these 2 seasons, the yielding ability of wheat increased by 15 kg ha-1 year-1 compared to a yield increase of only 4.7 kg ha-1 year-1 in 2000 due to a heavy P. recondita infection. In 1999 and 2000, when annual ryegrass was used as the weedy competitor, there was no systematic trend for the changes in crop yield loss with time. However, in 2001, when oat was used as the weed, there was a significant positive linear relationship between the year of cultivar release and crop yield loss, indicating inferior competitive ability of the modern cultivars. Old cultivars such as Nabawa not only provided superior weed suppression; they were also more weed tolerant as indicated by the smaller yield loss. Plant height appeared to be an important contributor to the superior competitiveness of the standard height, older cultivars. Other morphological traits contributing to the superior competitive ability included greater leaf length and width, light interception, and flag leaf length. To improve the competitive ability of modern wheat without compromising their yielding ability, morphological traits that enhance early crop vigour (size of leaf 1 and 2) and light interception without affecting harvest index may need to be incorporated from carefully selected germplasm
Keyword	breeding [ Show all 26 ]

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