Response of barley genotypes to terminal soil moisture stress: phenology, growth, and yield
Agueda González A C , Isaura Martín B and Luis Ayerbe BA Servicio de Investigación Agraria, CAM, Apdo. 127, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
B Centro de Recursos Fitogenéticos, INIA, Apdo. 1045, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
C Corresponding author. Email: agueda.gonzales@madrid.org
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(1) 29-37 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR06026
Submitted: 26 January 2006 Accepted: 6 October 2006 Published: 2 January 2007
Abstract
Terminal drought is the main factor limiting the yield of cereals in the central area of Spain because rainfall is scarce and temperatures are high during the grain-filling period. The response of 12 cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes consisting of 6 breeding lines showing high yield under terminal water stress and 6 commercial varieties was studied in a rain shelter. Trials were performed over 3 years to determine the influence of terminal water stress on yield and yield components and the relationship between yield and phenological and agronomic traits. When the crop reached the flag-leaf stage, half of the experimental plots were subjected to a water-stress treatment and the remainder were maintained at optimal water conditions. Variations were observed in number of days to ear emergence, days to maturity, and length of grain-filling period. Precocity strongly influenced the length of the grain-filling period so that the earlier genotypes had the longest grain-filling periods. Among yield components, mean grain weight had the greatest influence on yield under terminal water stress conditions. Earliness and length of grain-filling period were the phenological traits that most influenced yield in water stress conditions. These traits and harvest index (HI) showed a significant correlation (P < 0.001) with grain yield. Earliness, mean grain weight, and HI contributed to greater yields under terminal water stress.
Additional keywords: barley, water stress, grain-filling duration, yield components, precocity.
Acknowledgments
We kindly thank CIMMYT and ICARDA for providing various valuable breeding lines for the development of this research. This work was supported by the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agaria (INIA) of Spain, SC95-085-C06-06 Project.
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