Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR09081
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 48(2)

Use of genetic tolerance in grain crops to overcome subsoil constraints in alkaline cropping soils

J. G. Nuttall A C , K. B. Hobson A , M. Materne A , D. B. Moody A , R. Munns B and R. D. Armstrong A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 260, Horsham, Vic. 3401, Australia.

B CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: james.nuttall@dpi.vic.gov.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 48(2) 188-199 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR09081
Submitted: 26 April 2009  Accepted: 22 September 2009   Published: 31 March 2010

Abstract

Subsoil physicochemical constraints such as primary salinity and high boron (B) can significantly reduce grain yields across wide areas of Australia. Financially viable amelioration options are limited for cropping systems on these soils, which has raised interest in ‘genetic solutions’. Increasing the tolerance of crops to high salinity and boron that typically co-exist within alkaline soils offers the potential for substantial yield benefits. To assess the contribution that genetic variation can make to crop yield, closely related genotypes differing in B and/or Na+ tolerance of bread and durum wheat, barley, and lentil were compared by growing the different lines in intact soil cores of 2 Calcarosol profiles differing in level of subsoil constraints (‘hostile’/’benign’). The hostile profile had salinity increasing to EC1 : 5 ~1.2 dS/m and B ~18 mg/kg to 0.60 m, whereas in the benign soil EC1 : 5 did not exceed ~0.6 dS/m and B ~11 mg/kg.

Grain yields were significantly less on the hostile soil than the benign soil for barley (34%), bread wheat (20%), durum wheat (31%), and lentil (38%). Accumulation of B in shoots was significantly lower on the hostile soil across all crop species, indicating high sodium within the soil was associated with inhibited uptake of B in plants. In contrast, accumulation of Na+ was greater for all cereal crops in the hostile soil compared with the benign soil. Lentil plants with reputed sodium tolerance (CIPAL415) produced a significant yield benefit on both the benign and hostile soil over the commercial line, Nugget. The lentil line with combined Na+ and B tolerance (02-355L*03Hs005) also produced an additional yield increase over CIPAL415 on the hostile soil; however, yield was equivalent on the benign soil. For durum wheat, 2 genotypes differing in Na+ tolerance, containing either the Nax1 or Nax2 genes, accumulated less sodium in the straw than the parent cv. Tamaroi within the hostile soil; however, this did not translate to a yield advantage. For barley, there was no difference in either grain yield or B uptake in either the grain or straw between the B-tolerance line 03_007D_087 and its parent cv. Buloke. Similarly, there was no difference in either grain yield or B uptake between the bread wheat Schomburgk and its B-tolerant near-isogenic line BT-Schomburgk. This study suggests that of the cereal lines tested, there was no obvious benefit in lines with potentially improved tolerance for a single, specific subsoil constraint on alkaline soils where multiple potential constraints exist. In contrast, in lentils, incorporating tolerance to Na+ and B did show promise for increased adaptation to soils with subsoil constraints.

Additional keywords: boron, sodium, salinity, wheat, barley, lentil, durum.


Acknowledgments

This experimentation was funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries through the project ‘Improving the profitability of cropping on hostile subsoils’ (DAV00049). The co-operation of the Barber and Smith families, Birchip, for allowing recovery of soil cores from their land is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks to J Smith for her meticulous statistical analyses on these data. Thanks also to R Perris, M Munn, and G Price for technical support.


References


Adcock D, McNeill AM, McDonald GK, Armstrong RD (2007) Subsoil constraints to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia: a review of current knowledge and management strategies. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, 1245–1261.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Cartwright B, Zarcinas BA, Mayfield AH (1984) Toxic concentrations of boron in a red-brown earth at Gladstone, South Australia. Australian Journal of Soil Research 22, 261–272.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Dang Y , McDonald M , Routley R , Dalal RC , Singh D , Orange D , Mann M (2006) High chloride in subsoil: a key indicator for potential grain yield losses in southwest Queensland. In ‘13th Australian Society of Agronomy Conference’. Perth, WA. Available at: www.agronomy.org.au/proceedings/

Genc Y, McDonald GK, Tester M (2007) Reassessment of tissue Na+ concentration as a criterion for salinity in bread wheat. Plant, Cell & Environment 30, 1486–1498.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1

Goldberg S (1997) Reactions of boron with soils. Plant and Soil 193, 35–48.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Grattan SR , Grieve CM (1994) Mineral nutrient acquisition and response by plants grown in saline environments. In ‘Handbook of plant and crop stress’. (Ed. M Pessarakli) pp. 203–226. (Marcel Dekker: New York)

Hobson KB, Armstrong RD, Nicolas M, Connor DJ, Materne M (2006) Response of lentil (Lens culinaris) germplasm to high concentrations of soil boron. Euphytica 151, 371–382.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Holloway RE, Alston AM (1992) The effects of salt and boron on growth of wheat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 43, 987–1001.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Isbell RF (1996) ‘The Australian Soil Classification.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood, Vic.)

James RA, Davenport RJ, Munns R (2006) Physiological characterization of two genes for Na+ exclusion in durum wheat, Nax1 and Nax2. Plant Physiology 142, 1537–1547.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1

James RA, von Caemmerer S, Condon AG, Zwarf AB, Munns R (2008) Genetic variation in tolerance to the osmotic stress component of salinity stress in durum wheat. Functional Plant Biology 35, 111–123.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Kingsbury RW, Epstein E, Pearcy RW (1984) Physiological response to salinity in selected lines of wheat. Plant Physiology 74, 417–423.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1

Kirkby CA , Chittleborough DJ , Smettem KR , Cox JW (1996) Water, phosphate, clay and DOC movement through a texture contrast soil. In ‘Proceedings, Australian and New Zealand National Soils Conference’. Melbourne. (ASSSI: Warragul, Vic.)

Lindsay MP, Lagudah ES, Hare RA, Munns R (2004) A locus sodium exclusion (Nax1), a trait for salt tolerance, mapped in durum wheat. Functional Plant Biology 31, 1105–1114.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Maas EV (1986) Salt tolerance of plants. Applied Agricultural Research 1, 12–26. open url image1

Maas EV, Hoffman GJ (1977) Crop salt tolerance – current assessment. Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division 103, 115–134. open url image1

Maher LR , Armstrong RD , Connor DJ (2003) Salt tolerant lentils — a possibility for the future? In ‘Proceedings of the 11th Australian Agronomy Conference’. Geelong, Vic. (The Australian Society of Agronomy Inc.: Carlton, Vic.)

Materne M (2007) PBA Lentil Report. Pulse Breeding Australia.

Mishra B (1983) Range of some genotypic tolerance in barley to soil salinity or sodicity. Current Agriculture 7, 41–44. open url image1

Moody DB , Rathjen AJ , Cartwright B (1991) Yield evaluation of a gene for boron tolerance using backcross-derived lines. In ‘The 4th International Symposium on Genetic Aspects of Plant Mineral Nutrition’. (Eds PJ Randall, E Delhaize, RA Richards, R Munns)

Munns R, Hare RA, James RA, Rebetzke GJ (2000) Genetic variation for improving the salt tolerance of durum wheat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 51, 69–74.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Nable RO, Paull JG (1991) Mechanism and genetics of tolerance to boron toxicity in plants. Plant Biochemistry and Physiology 10, 257–273.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Noble CL , Rogers ME (1993) Arguments for the use of physiological criteria for improving the salt tolerance in crops. In ‘4th International Symposium on Genetic Aspects of Plant Mineral Nutrition’. Canberra, ACT, 30 Sept.–4 Oct. 1991. Plant and Soil 146, 99–107.

Northcote KH (1979) ‘A factual key for the recognition of Australian soils.’ (Rellim Technical Publications Pty Ltd: Glenside, S. Aust.)

Nuttall JG , Armstrong RD , Connor DJ (2001) Understanding subsoil water use by cereals on southern Mallee soils I Spatial characteristics of subsoil constraints. In ‘10th Australian Agronomy Conference’. Hobart, Tas. (Conference Design Pty Ltd: Hobart, Tas.) Available at: www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2001

Nuttall JG, Armstrong RD, Connor DJ (2003a) Evaluating physicochemical constraints of Calcarosols on wheat yield in the Victorian southern Mallee. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 54, 487–497.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Nuttall JG, Armstrong RD, Connor DJ (2005) The effect of boron tolerance, deep ripping with gypsum, and water supply on subsoil water extraction of cereals on an alkaline soil. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, 113–122.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Nuttall JG, Armstrong RD, Connor DJ (2006) Early growth of wheat is more sensitive to salinity than boron at levels encountered in alkaline soils of south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 1507–1514.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Nuttall JG, Armstrong RD, Connor DJ, Matassa VJ (2003b) Interrelationships between edaphic factors potentially limiting cereal growth on alkaline soils in north-west Victoria. Australian Journal of Soil Research 41, 277–292.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Paull JG, Cartwright B, Rathjen AJ (1988) Responses of wheat and barley genotypes to toxic concentrations of soil boron. Euphytica 39, 137–144.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Paull JG, Nable RO, Rathjen AJ (1992) Physiological and genetic control of the tolerance of wheat to high concentrations of boron and implications for plant breeding. Plant and Soil 146, 251–260.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Payne RW , Harding SA , Murray DA , Soutar DM , Baird DB , Welham SJ , Kane AF , Gilmour AR , Thompson R , Webster R , Tunnicliffe WG (2006) ‘The guide to Genstat Release 9, Part 2: Statistics.’ (VSN International: Hemel Hempstead, UK)

Ralph W (1986) Boron toxicity in southern cereals. Rural Research, pp. 25–27.

Rayment GE , Higginson FR (Eds) (1992) ‘Australian laboratory handbook of soil and water chemical methods.’ (Inkata Press: Melbourne, Vic.)

Rengasamy P (2006) World salinization with emphasis on Australia. Journal of Experimental Botany 57, 1017–1023.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1

Rengasamy P, Olsson KA (1991) Sodicity and soil structure. Australian Journal of Soil Research 29, 935–952.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Sadras V, Roget D, O’Leary G (2002) On-farm assessment of environmental and management constraints to wheat yield and efficiency in the use of rainfall in the Mallee. Australian Journal of Soil Research 53, 587–598. open url image1

Sharma SK (1987) Mechanisms of tolerance in wheat genotypes differing in sodicity tolerance. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 14, 87–94. open url image1

Yau S (2001) Terminal drought and subsoil boron on barley root growth and water use – an examination of possible interactions. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 32, 379–387.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1