Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Crop and Pasture Science Crop and Pasture Science Society
Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

An integrated framework for predicting the risk of experiencing temperature conditions that may trigger late-maturity alpha-amylase in wheat across Australia

Robert N. Armstrong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9360-6153 A E , Andries B. Potgieter A E , Daryl J. Mares B , Kolumbina Mrva B , Jason Brider C and Graeme L. Hammer D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

B School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia.

C Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, 203 Tor St, Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia.

D Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

E Corresponding authors. Email: r.armstrong1@uq.edu.au; a.potgieter@uq.edu.au

Crop and Pasture Science 71(1) 1-11 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP19005
Submitted: 4 January 2019  Accepted: 9 September 2019   Published: 17 December 2019

Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2020 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

Late-maturity alpha-amylase (LMA) is a key concern for Australia’s wheat industry because affected grain may not meet receival standards or market specifications, resulting in significant economic losses for producers and industry. The risk of LMA incidence across Australia’s wheatbelt is not well understood; therefore, a predictive model was developed to help to characterise likely LMA incidence. Preliminary development work is presented here based on diagnostic simulations for estimating the likelihood of experiencing environmental conditions similar to a potential triggering criterion currently used to phenotype wheat lines in a semi-controlled environment. Simulation inputs included crop phenology and long-term weather data (1901–2016) for >1750 stations across Australia’s wheatbelt. Frequency estimates for the likelihood of target conditions on a yearly basis were derived from scenarios using either: (i) weather-driven sowing dates each year and three reference maturity types, mimicking traditional cropping practices; or (ii) monthly fixed sowing dates for each year. Putative-risk ‘footprint’ maps were then generated at regional shire scale to highlight regions with a low (<33%), moderate (33–66%) or high (>66%) likelihood of experiencing temperatures similar to a cool-shock regime occurring in the field. Results suggested low risks for wheat regions across Queensland and relatively low risks for most regions across New South Wales, except for earlier planting with quick-maturing varieties. However, for fixed sowing dates of 1 May and 1 June and varying maturity types, the combined footprints for moderate-risk and high-risk categories ranged from 34% to 99% of the broad wheat region for South Australia, from 12% to 97% for Victoria, and from 9% to 59% for Western Australia. A further research component aims to conduct a field validation to improve quantification of the range of LMA triggering conditions; this would improve the predictive LMA framework and could assist industry with future decision-making based on a quantifiable LMA field risk.

Additional keywords: crop modelling, decision support, environmental modelling, Oz-Wheat, risk management, wheat quality.


References

Barlow KM, Christy BP, O’Leary GL, Riffkin PA, Nuttall JG (2015) Simulating the impact of extreme heat and frost events on wheat crop production: a review. Field Crops Research 171, 109–119.
Simulating the impact of extreme heat and frost events on wheat crop production: a review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Barrero JM, Mrva K, Talbot MJ, White RG, Taylor J, Gubler F, Mares DJ (2013) Genetic, hormonal, and physiological analysis of late maturity alpha-amylase in wheat. Plant Physiology 161, 1265–1277.
Genetic, hormonal, and physiological analysis of late maturity alpha-amylase in wheat.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23321420PubMed |

Bingham J, Whitmore ET (1966) Varietal differences in wheat in resistance to germination in the ear and α-amylase content of the grain. The Journal of Agricultural Science 66, 197–201.
Varietal differences in wheat in resistance to germination in the ear and α-amylase content of the grain.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Boer R, Campbell LC, Fletcher DJ (1993) Characteristics of frost in a major wheat-growing region of Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 44, 1731–1743.
Characteristics of frost in a major wheat-growing region of Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Edwards RA, Ross AS, Mares DJ, Ellison FW, Tomlinson JD (1989) Enzymes from rain-damaged wheat and laboratory-germinated wheat. I. Effects on product quality. Journal of Cereal Science 10, 157–167.
Enzymes from rain-damaged wheat and laboratory-germinated wheat. I. Effects on product quality.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Farrell AD, Kettlewell PS (2008) The effect of temperature shock and grain morphology on alpha-amylase in developing wheat grain. Annals of Botany 102, 287–293.
The effect of temperature shock and grain morphology on alpha-amylase in developing wheat grain.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 18535012PubMed |

Farrell AD, Kettlewell PS, Simmonds J, Flintham JE, Snape JW, Werner P, Jack PL (2013) Control of late maturity alpha-amylase in wheat by the dwarfing gene Rht-D1b and genes on the 1B/1R translocation. Molecular Breeding 32, 425–436.
Control of late maturity alpha-amylase in wheat by the dwarfing gene Rht-D1b and genes on the 1B/1R translocation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Flohr BM, Hunt JR, Kirkegaard JA, Evans JR (2017) Water and temperature stress define the optimal flowering period for wheat in south-eastern Australia. Field Crops Research 209, 108–119.
Water and temperature stress define the optimal flowering period for wheat in south-eastern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Hollander M, Wolfe DA (1973) ‘Nonparametric statistical methods.’ (John Wiley and Sons: New York)

Holzworth DP, Huth NI, deVoil PG, Zurcher EJ, Herrmann NI, McLean G, Chenu K, van OOsterom EJ, Snow V, Murphy C, et al (2014) APSIM - Evolution towards a new generation of agricultural systems simulation. Environmental Modelling & Software 62, 327–350.
APSIM - Evolution towards a new generation of agricultural systems simulation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Hunt J, Rheinheimer B, Swan T, Goward L, Wheeler R, Ware A, Davis L, Nairn J, Pearce A, Ludwig I, Noack S, Hooper P, Faulkner M, Braun J, Flohr L (2016) Early sowing in South Australia: results from 2015 and a summary of two years of trials. GRDC Update Papers. GRDC, Canberra, ACT. Available at: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2016/02/early-sowing-in-south-australia-results-from-2015-and-a-summary-of-two-years-of-trials (accessed 5 November 2018).

Jeffrey SJ, Carter JO, Moodie KB, Beswick AR (2001) Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data. Environmental Modelling & Software 16, 309–330.
Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Kingwell R, Carter C (2014) Economic issues surrounding wheat quality assurance: the case of late maturing alpha-amylase policy in Australia. Australasian Agribusiness Review 22, 14–26.

Lunn GD, Kettlewell PS, Major BJ, Scott RK, Froment M, Naylor REL (1998) Physiological control of Hagberg Falling Number and sprouting in winter wheat and development of a prediction scheme. Project report No. 165. Home-Grown Cereals Authority London.

Mares DJ, Gale MD (1990) Control of alpha-amylase synthesis in wheat grains. In ‘Proceedings 5th International Symposium on Pre-Harvest Sprouting in Cereals’. (Eds K Ringlund, E Mosleth, DJ Mares) pp. 178–184. (Westview Press: Boulder, CO, USA)

Mares DJ, Mrva K (2008) Late-maturity α-amylase: Low falling number in wheat in the absence of preharvest sprouting. Journal of Cereal Science 47, 6–17.
Late-maturity α-amylase: Low falling number in wheat in the absence of preharvest sprouting.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mares DJ, Mrva K (2014) Wheat grain preharvest sprouting and late maturity alpha-amylase. Planta 240, 1167–1178.
Wheat grain preharvest sprouting and late maturity alpha-amylase.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 25257145PubMed |

Mrva K, Mares DJ (1996a) Control of late maturity α-amylase synthesis compared to enzyme synthesis during germination. In ‘Proceedings 7th International Symposium on Pre-Harvest Sprouting in Cereals’. (Eds K Noda, DJ Mares) pp. 419–426. (Center for Academic Societies: Osaka, Japan)

Mrva K, Mares DJ (1996b) Inheritance of late maturity α-amylase in wheat. Euphytica 88, 61–67.
Inheritance of late maturity α-amylase in wheat.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mrva K, Mares DJ (2001) Induction of late maturity α-amylase in wheat by cool temperature. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, 477–484.
Induction of late maturity α-amylase in wheat by cool temperature.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mrva K, Mares DJ (2002) Screening methods and identification of QTLs associated with late maturity α-amylase in wheat. Euphytica 126, 55–59.
Screening methods and identification of QTLs associated with late maturity α-amylase in wheat.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Newberry M, Zwart AB, Whan A, Mieog JC, Sun M, Leyne E, Pritchard J, Daneri-Castro SN, Ibrahim K, Diepeveen D, Howitt CA, Ral JF (2018) Does late maturity alpha-amylase impact wheat baking quality? Frontiers in Plant Science 9, 1356
Does late maturity alpha-amylase impact wheat baking quality?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 30245701PubMed |

Potgieter AB, Hammer GL, Doherty A (2006) Oz-Wheat: a regional scale crop yield simulation model for Australian wheat. Information Series No. QI06033. Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Brisbane, Qld.

Wheat Quality Australia (2015) Wheat Classification Guidelines. Version: October 2015. Wheat Quality Australia, Sydney.

Wilks DS (1995) ‘Statistical methods in the atmospheric sciences: an introduction.’ (Academic Press: San Diego, CA, USA)

Woodruff DR, Tonks J (1983) Relationship between time of anthesis and grain yield of wheat genotypes with differing developmental patterns. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 34, 1–11.
Relationship between time of anthesis and grain yield of wheat genotypes with differing developmental patterns.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Zheng B, Chapman SC, Christopher JT, Frederiks TM, Chenu K (2015) Frost trends and their estimated impact on yield in the Australian wheatbelt. Journal of Experimental Botany 66, 3611–3623.
Frost trends and their estimated impact on yield in the Australian wheatbelt.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 25922479PubMed |