The impact of plant breeding on the grain yield and competitive ability of wheat in Australia
R. K. Vandeleur A B and G. S. Gill AA School of Agriculture and Wine, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia.
B Corresponding author; email: rebecca.coleman@adelaide.edu.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55(8) 855-861 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR03136
Submitted: 2 July 2003 Accepted: 10 June 2004 Published: 31 August 2004
Abstract
Fourteen wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars released to Australian growers over the last century were examined to determine the impact of crop breeding on competitive ability with weeds. In 1999 and 2000 the weed used in the field study was annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) and in 2001 oats (Avena sativa cv. Marloo) was the weedy competitor. In 2 out of 3 years (1999 and 2001), when Puccinia recondita (leaf rust) infection was not a problem, there were consistent trends for improvement in yielding ability through breeding effort over time. In these 2 seasons the yielding ability of wheat increased by around 15 kg/ha.year as compared with a yield increase of only 4.7 kg/ha.year 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 changes in crop yield loss with time (r = 0.47 in 1999; r = 0.08 in 2000, P > 0.05). However, in 2001, when oat was used as the weed, there was a significant positive linear relationship (r = 0.81, P < 0.01) 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 tolerant of weeds 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 superior competitive ability included greater leaf length and width, light interception, and flag leaf length. To improve the competitive ability of modern wheats 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.
Additional keywords: wheat cultivars, weed suppression, yield reduction.
Acknowledgments
We thank Mr Don Whiting for providing the seed of the older cultivars. We also thank Michelle Lorimer for her assistance with the statistical analysis. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) provided funding for this research.
Austin RB,
Bingham J,
Blackwell RD,
Evans LT,
Ford MA,
Morgan CL, Taylor M
(1980) Genetic improvement in winter wheat yields since 1900 and associated physiological changes. The Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge) 94, 675–689.
Challaiah O,
Burnside OC,
Wicks GA, Johnson VA
(1986) Competition between winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars and downy brome (Bromus tectorum). Weed Science 34, 689–693.
Coleman RK,
Gill GS, Rebetzke GJ
(2001) Identification of quantitative trait loci for traits conferring weed competitiveness in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, 1235–1246.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cousens RD, Mokhtari S
(1998) Seasonal and site variability in the tolerance of wheat cultivars to interference from Lolium rigidum.
Weed Research 38, 301–307.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Evans LT
(1981) Yield improvement in wheat: empirical or analytical. ‘Wheat science—today and tomorrow’. (Eds LT Evans, WJ Peacock)
pp. 203–222. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)
Gilmour AF,
Cullis BR, Verbyla A
(1997) Accounting for natural and extraneous variation in the analysis of field experiments. Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics 2, 1–25.
Huel DG, Hucl P
(1996) Genotypic variation for competitive ability in spring wheat. Plant Breeding 115, 325–329.
Karimi MM, Siddique KHM
(1991) Crop growth and relative growth rates of old and modern wheat cultivars. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 42, 13–20.
Keyes GJ, Paolillo DJ
(1989) The effects of dwarfing genes Rht1 and Rht2 on cellular dimensions and rate of leaf elongation in wheat. Annals of Botany 64, 683–690.
Lemerle D,
Gill GS,
Murphy CE,
Walker SR,
Cousens RD,
Mokhtari S,
Peltzer SJ,
Coleman R, Luckett DJ
(2001a) Genetic improvement and agronomy for enhanced wheat competitiveness with weeds. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, 527–548.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lemerle D,
Verbeek B, Coombes N
(1995) Losses in grain yield of winter crops from Lolium rigidum competition depend on crop species, cultivar and season. Weed Research 35, 503–509.
Lemerle D,
Verbeek B,
Cousens RD, Coombes NE
(1996) The potential for selecting wheat varieties strongly competitive against weeds. Weed Research 36, 505–513.
Lemerle D,
Verbeek B, Orchard B
(2001b) Ranking the ability of wheat varieties to compete with Lolium rigidum. Weed Research 41, 197–209.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
O’Brien L
(1982) Victorian wheat yield trends, 1898–1977. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 39, 163–168.
Payne, RW (1988).
‘Genstat 5 reference manual.’ (Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK)
Perry MW, D’Antuono MF
(1989) Yield improvement and associated characteristics of some Australian spring wheat cultivars introduced between 1860 and 1982. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 40, 457–472.
Rebetzke GJ, Richards RA
(1999) Genetic improvement of early vigour in wheat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, 291–301.
Rebetzke GJ, Richards RA
(2000) Gibberellic acid-sensitive dwarfing genes reduce plant height to increase kernel number and grain yield of wheat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 51, 235–245.
| Crossref |
Reeves T, Brooke HD
(1977) The effect of genotype and phenotype on the competition between wheat and annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.). ‘Proceedings 6th Asian-Pacific Weed Science Conference’. (Ed. M Soerjani ,
ED Barnes ,
TO Robson )
pp. 167–172. (Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society: Jakarta)
Sayre KD,
Rajaram S, Fischer RA
(1997) Yield potential progress in short bread wheats in Northwest Mexico. Crop Science 37, 36–42.
Seavers GP, Wright KJ
(1999) Crop canopy development and structure influence weed suppression. Weed Research 39, 319–328.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Siddique KHM,
Belford RK,
Perry MW, Tennant D
(1989) Growth, development and light interception of old and modern wheat cultivars in a Mediterranean type environment. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 40, 473–485.
Syme JR, Thompson JP
(1981) Phenotypic relationships among Australian and Mexican wheat cultivars. Euphytica 30, 467–481.
| Crossref |
Verschewele A, Niemann P
(1993) Indirect weed control by selection of wheat cultivars. ‘Proceedings of the 8th European Weed Research Society Symposium’. (Ed. T Eggers )
pp. 269–273. (European Weed Research Society: Braunschweig)
Waddington SR,
Ransom JK,
Osmanzai M, Saunders DA
(1986) Improvement in the yield potential of bread wheat adapted to northwest Mexico. Crop Science 26, 698–703.
Zadoks JC,
Chang TT, Konzak CF
(1974) A decimal code for the growth stages of cereals. Weed Research 14, 415–421.
