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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(8)

Wheat genotypes differ in potassium efficiency under glasshouse and field conditions

P. M. Damon A B and Z. Rengel A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: paul.damon@uwa.edu.au

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(8) 816-825 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR06402
Submitted: 15 December 2006  Accepted: 7 May 2007   Published: 30 August 2007

Abstract

A novel approach to the sustainable management of potassium (K) resources in agro-ecosystems is through better exploitation of genetic differences in the K efficiency of crop plants. Potassium efficiency is a measure of genotypic tolerance to soils with low potassium availability and can be quantified as the K efficiency ratio (the ratio of growth at deficient and adequate K supply). This study investigated the magnitude of variation in K efficiency among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes grown in a glasshouse and in the field.

Genotypes differed significantly in response to low soil K availability in terms of shoot biomass during the vegetative growth phase and grain yield at maturity under glasshouse (144 genotypes) and field (89 genotypes) conditions. K-efficient and K-inefficient genotypes were identified. The main factor determining K efficiency for grain yield was the capacity of genotypes to maintain a high harvest index (grain yield/total shoot weight) at deficient K supply. Genotypes that had reduced harvest index under deficient K supply were K-inefficient. Capacity to tolerate low concentrations of K in shoot tissue where K supply was deficient was also important in determining K efficiency for grain yield. Potassium-efficient genotypes have the potential to enhance the productivity and sustainability of cereal cropping systems.

Additional keywords: cereal crops, low-input agriculture, nutrient efficiency, potash.


Acknowledgments

We thank R. Hunter and N. Venn, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, and L. Osborne, The University of Western Australia, for providing the seed used in these experiments. L. Hodgson, M. Blair, and A. Northover, The University of Western Australia, helped manage the field and glasshouse experiments. This research was funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australia (Project No: UWA00031).


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