High ear number is key to achieving high wheat yields in the high-rainfall zone of south-western Australia
Heping Zhang A C , Neil C. Turner B , Michael L. Poole A and Senthold Asseng AA CSIRO Plant Industry, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia.
B Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: heping.zhang@csiro.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(1) 21-27 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR05170
Submitted: 16 May 2005 Accepted: 25 September 2006 Published: 2 January 2007
Abstract
The growth and yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were examined to determine the actual and potential yields of wheat at a site in the high rainfall zone (HRZ) of south-western Australia. Spring wheat achieved yields of 5.5−5.9 t/ha in 2001 and 2003 when subsurface waterlogging was absent or minimal. These yields were close to the estimated potential, indicating that a high yield potential is achievable. In 2002 when subsurface waterlogging occurred early in the growing season, the yield of spring wheat was 40% lower than the estimated potential. The yield of wheat was significantly correlated with the number of ears per m2 (r2 = 0.81) and dry matter at anthesis (r2 = 0.73). To achieve 5–6 t/ha of yield of wheat in the HRZ, 450–550 ears per m2 and 10–11 t/ha dry matter at anthesis should be targetted. Attaining such a level of dry matter at anthesis did not have a negative effect on dry-matter accumulation during the post-anthesis period. The harvest index (0.36−0.38) of spring wheat was comparable with that in drier parts of south-western Australia, but relatively low given the high rainfall and the long growing season. This relatively low harvest index indicates that the selected cultivar bred for the low- and medium-rainfall zone in this study, when grown in the HRZ, may have genetic limitations in sink capacity arising from the low grain number per ear. We suggest that the yield of wheat in the HRZ may be increased further by increasing the sink capacity by increasing the number of grains per ear.
Acknowledgments
We thank Ms Asha Jogia and Ms Meg Flavelle for technical assistance, and Mr Vince Lambert from the Western Australia Department of Agriculture for agronomic management of the trial. We acknowledge the Kojonup Crop Research Group for helpful discussion on the project. John and the late Caroline Young generously allowed use of their land. Our thanks go also to Drs Steve Milroy and Jairo Palta for helpful comments on the manuscript. The project was supported by CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
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