Effects of sowing date, sowing density and nitrogen supply on leaf extension in spring barley

1989 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. S. Maan ◽  
D. Wright ◽  
M. B. Alcock

SUMMARYThree pot experiments were performed in unheated glasshouses at the University College of North Wales College Farm, Aber, Gwynedd in 1980–1983. Two experiments tested the effects of sowing date and N supply, the third sowing density and nitrogen supply. Extension growth of main-stem leaves was measured by ruler and expressed in thermal time units to allow comparisons between sowing dates. Rate and duration of leaf extension were determined from linear regressions of leaf length against thermal time.Increasing N supply increased leaf extension rate but had no significant effects on leaf extension duration. Leaf extension rate increased with leaf position on the main shoot, but decreased slightly in leaves extending at the time of stem elongation. Leaf extension duration also increased with leaf position on the main shoot and was related to mean temperature during the leaf extension phase. Plants sown in September were able to compensate for lower radiation receipts by having a faster rate and longer duration of leaf extension, by producing larger leaves with a greater specific lamina area and by partitioning a greater proportion of extension growth into lamina and less into sheaths. In plants sown in June, the largest leaf occurred at a lower stem node and leaves emerging later showed a strong response to N. It is suggested that this is attributable to earlier onset of internal competition for assimilates. Variation in leaf extension rate was the main factor influencing variation in final leaf area. There was a strong positive relationship between leaf extension rate and leaf N content.Increasing sowing density increased the area of the first four leaves on the main shoot and decreased that of later leaves, changes mainly associated with changes in leaf extension duration. It is concluded that progress in the modelling of leaf area expansion, light interception and dry matter production requires more information about how sowing date, sowing density and N supply interact to influence crop development and leaf growth.

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Robertson ◽  
Graham D. Bonnett ◽  
R. Michael Hughes ◽  
Russell C. Muchow ◽  
James A. Campbell

Canopy development is an important determinant of crop radiation interception, and in the absence of stress is mainly driven by temperature. The responses to temperature of the component processes of canopy dynamics in sugarcane: leaf appearance, leaf size, tillering, and leaf senescence, were analysed for the commercial Australian cultivar, Q117. Data were derived under optimal growth conditions from controlled environments, and from irrigated field studies in subtropical and tropical locations. Regression of number of fully-expanded leaves in field-grown plants against cumulative thermal time revealed that the thermal time between the appearance of successive leaves increased as a function of leaf number, such that leaf 1 required 86˚Cd and leaf 40 required 160˚Cd. At any moment, on average there were 3.7 leaves still expanding on the stalks. Functions describing leaf appearance gave acceptable prediction of the time course of leaf appearance taken from independent datasets of field-grown plant and ratoon crops. Leaf size increased with leaf position, with the largest leaves observed at approximately leaf 17 and above. Combining functions describing leaf appearance and leaf size as a function of leaf position allowed estimation of leaf area index (LAI) of main stems in plant and ratoon crops in subtropical and tropical environments. Tiller LAI, derived by difference, accounted for 60–90% of total LAI at the 5- leaf stage, declining to 20–50% at the 15-leaf stage. Plant and ratoon crops were similar in terms of the amount and proportion of tiller LAI. Combining data from all field studies indicated under potential growth conditions, leaf senescence was closely related to leaf production. The functions derived in this study give a basis for simulating canopy dynamics under potential growth conditions in sugarcane, though the extent of genotypic variation for the key parameters and their modification by stress remains to be assessed.


1992 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. M. Kirby

SUMMARYThe number of leaves formed on the main shoot of a wheat plant is an important developmental feature, and a method of predicting this is essential for computer simulation of development.A model function was used to estimate vernalization from simulated sowing dates throughout a season. When expressed in terms of thermal time, it was estimated that a plant might be fully vernalized soon after seedling emergence or take up to about 1000 °Cd, depending on sowing date. When the simulated progress of vernalization was related to main shoot development (primordium initiation and leaf emergence) it was found that there were substantial differences between sowings in the rate of vernalization at comparable stages of apex development.A number of field experiments done in Britain from 1980 to 1984 with prominent commercial varieties, sown at various times from September to March, were analysed in terms of the thermal time to full vernalization and the photoperiod at the time of full vernalization, with vernalization simulated by the model function. In both winter and spring varieties, both of these variables significantly affected the number of main shoot leaves. Multiple linear regression using these two variables accounted for between 70 and 90% of the variance in leaf number, depending on variety.


OENO One ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Vrignon-Brenas ◽  
Metay Aurélie ◽  
Leporatti Romain ◽  
Gharibi Shiva ◽  
Fraga Alana ◽  
...  

Aim: Nitrogen is a major element conditioning grapevine growth, yield and aromatic profiles of berries and wines. Different tools can be used in order to detect differences in N status of the plant, including direct measurements of soil, plant nitrogen status (eg. petiole; must), or indirect observations of plant nutritional status such as leaf transmittance or reflectance (eg. SPAD; NDVI). However, the relationships between these indicators of nitrogen status and the overall plant functioning over vintages remain poorly known. The present study aimed at quantifying key vegetative and reproductive responses to plant nitrogen status over two successive seasons under different nitrogen supply levels.Methods and results: Potted plants of Sauvignon Blanc grafted onto SO4 were grown outdoors in 2017 and 2018 with no water limitation. Four mineral nitrogen fertilization levels (equivalent to 0 kg of N ha-1 or 0U, 20U, 40U, 80U) and one organic nitrogen fertilization level (40U) were imposed in 2017. These treatments were doubled in 2018 to increase the degree of nitrogen supply and consequently, the range of observed effects on plant growth and yield. Plant nitrogen status (SPAD) was monitored weekly during both growing cycles. Yield components were determined over the two seasons. Lastly, plant carbon status was addressed through dynamic measurement of plant development and photosynthesis, and destructive measurement of dry matter accumulation and carbon storage in annual and perennial organs at flowering, veraison and harvest.The SPAD values progressively decreased under lower N supply (0N) during the first year (from 31 to 16) and they were more than halved between the maximum and the minimum N treatments straight after budburst in year two (40 for 160N and 19 for 0N). Then, the differences in SPAD values among treatments were maintained up to harvest (2018). The gradient of N status resulted in a gradient of berry numbers per inflorescence (from 180 to 34 berries/inflorescence for 80N and 0N, respectively in 2018) and of individual berry dry matter at harvest (from 0.13 to 0.41 g for 160N and 0N, respectively in 2018). Quantitative relationships between N status and the relative reductions (% of reduction per %SPAD decrease) in terms of C gain (leaf area, photosynthesis), C growth (shoot, berry, trunk and root dry matter) and C storage (trunk and root) were fitted at flowering, veraison and harvest. The reduction in C gain under lower N supply was mainly related to the decrease in total leaf area before flowering (-1.64%). Although the photosynthesis rate tended to decrease under N deficiency over the season, it only poorly contributed to the reduction in C gain. The whole plant C growth was inhibited when N status decreased (-1.13% at harvest), due to the inhibition of shoot dry matter before veraison (-1.81%) and to a lower extent, to the lower dry matter in berries (-0.80%), trunks (-0.42%) and roots (-0.84%) at harvest. Part of the reduction in root dry matter was related to the lower starch reserves (-0.31%) at harvest. Interestingly, starch reserves tended to be higher under organic N supply than mineral N supply.Conclusion: The present results provided a general framework of carbon gain and use over time (within and between seasons) as impacted by N supply levels and form. Such a framework will be useful when building a model of the pluri-annual dynamics of carbon balance related to yield elaboration in grapevines.


1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. K. Hotsonyame ◽  
L. A. Hunt

Specific leaf area (SLA), the ratio of leaf area to leaf weight, is an important plant characteristic that affects the rate of dry matter production of crop canopies. It is affected by the conditions of growth of both isolated plants and crop communities, but the extent to which various environmental factors impact on SLA under field conditions is not clearly understood. This study was conducted to study the variability in SLA of leaves on the main culm, and in the leaf canopy as an entity, under different conditions of photoperiod, nitrogen and temperature for a number of wheat genotypes grown under field conditions. Five plantings at approximately bimonthly intervals on 12 May, 5 July and 22 September 1993; and on 9 June and 10 August 1994 were made under both natural photoperiod and an extended photoperiod of 20 h. A split plot design with two levels of nitrogen (0 kg N ha−1 and 150 kg N ha−1) as main plots and four genotypes of wheat comprising two spring types (Norseman and Roblin) and two winter types (Ruby and Harus) as subplots was used.SLA of individual leaves varied among leaf positions, but the pattern of variation was dependent on sowing date and genotype. For May and June sowing dates, SLA increased with leaf number up to leaf 5 and then declined with subsequent leaf numbers for the spring genotypes, but increased to leaf 5 and changed little thereafter for the winter types. For July or August sowing and for both spring and winter genotypes, the change in SLA with leaf position was less clear. The results further showed that some of this variability in SLA with leaf position could be accounted for by the mean air temperatures over which the leaves developed. As temperatures increased from 8 °C to 26 °C, SLA increased to a maximum value achieved at 18–20 °C and then declined. However, there was a large scatter of SLA values around 18–20 °C, due partly to some lower SLA values for the July and August sowing dates. This suggests the impact of other factors such as radiation and the degree of mutual shading within the canopy on SLA. Mean canopy SLA reflected the individual leaf values during the period of leaf production, and varied with sowing date and genotype, although the pattern of genotypic variability was inconsistent over sowing dates; it decreased rapidly after spike emergence presumably reflecting leaf aging. Neither nitrogen nor photoperiod had significant effects on SLA on both individual leaf and canopy bases.The results suggest that temperature is one factor affecting SLA under field conditions, but that further work to identify other factors impacting on SLA in the field will be necessary. For application of simulation models to situations in which temperatures are likely to vary, an accounting for the impact of temperature on the SLA of individual leaves would be desirable. Key words: Specific leaf area (SLA), sowing date, temperature, simulation, wheat


Author(s):  
H.E. Brown ◽  
S. Maley ◽  
D.R. Wilson

Gruner kale showed a linear increase (8.0 kg DM/ha per °Cd) in biomass with sowings on 1 October, 3 November and 1 December producing 23, 19 and 17 t DM/ha (respectively) by the 29 May. Regrowth following mid season defoliation was slow (5.3 kg DM/ha per °Cd) reducing total production (relative to undefoliated) by 7.5 and 5.5 t DM/ha for treatments defoliated on the 29 January and 14 March, respectively. Keyworks: defoliation, kale, quality, regrowth, sowing date, thermal time, yield


AoB Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiphaine Vidal ◽  
Hafssa Aissaoui ◽  
Sabrina Rehali ◽  
Bruno Andrieu

Abstract Simulating leaf development from initiation to maturity opens new possibilities to model plant–environment interactions and the plasticity of plant architecture. This study analyses the dynamics of leaf production and extension along a maize (Zea mays) shoot to assess important modelling choices. Maize plants from two cultivars originating from the same inbred line, yet differing in the length of mature leaves were used in this study. We characterised the dynamics of the blade and sheath lengths of all phytomers by dissecting plants every 2–3 days. We analysed how differences in leaf size were built up and we examined the coordination between the emergence of organs and phases of their extension. Leaf extension rates were higher in the cultivar with longer leaves than in the cultivar with shorter leaves; no differences were found in other aspects. We found that (i) first post-embryonic leaves were initiated at a markedly higher rate than upper leaves; (ii) below ear position, sheaths were initiated at a time intermediate between tip emergence and appearance, while above the ear position, sheaths were initiated at a high rate, such that the time interval between the blade and sheath initiations decreased for these leaves; and (iii) ear position also marked a change in the correlation in size between successive phytomers with little correlation of size between upper and lower leaves. Our results identified leaf extension rate as the reason for the difference in size between the two cultivars. The two cultivars shared the same pattern for the timing of initiation events, which was more complex than previously thought. The differences described here may explain some inaccuracies reported in functional-structural plant models. We speculate that genotypic variation in behaviour for leaf and sheath initiation exists, which has been little documented in former studies.


2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corine C. de Groot ◽  
Leo F. M. Marcelis ◽  
Riki van den Boogaard ◽  
Hans Lambers

The interactive effects of irradiance and N on growth of young tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were studied. Plants were grown at 70 or 300 μmol photons m–2 s–1, hereafter referred to as 'low' and 'high' irradiance, and at a range of exponential N supply rates (70–370 mg g–1 d–1) or at a constant concentration in the nutrient solution of 12 mM NO3–. At both irradiance levels, leaf area ratio was more important than net assimilation rate (NAR) in explaining effects of N on growth at mild N limitation. However, at severe N limitation, NAR became the most important parameter, as indicated by calculated growth response coefficients. Furthermore, this study shows that N supply and growth irradiance interacted strongly. The decrease of specific leaf area with increasing N limitation and increasing growth irradiance correlated with increasing leaf dry mass percentage and starch concentration. Furthermore, at low irradiance, plants partitioned more dry mass to the stem. Dry mass partitioning to roots increased with decreasing plant N concentration, and this relation appeared to be independent of irradiance. Shading increased plant N concentration and decreased dry mass partitioning to roots. Also, the relationship between plant N concentration and N partitioning to different plant organs was largely independent of growth irradiance.


1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
A.S.R. Pereira

For studies on the relationship between photosynthetic capacity and yield components in sunflower a method for estimating leaf area was required. To this end use of the leaf area coefficient (LAC), i.e. the quotient area/(length X max. width), was evaluated. It was found that LAC may be a function of leaf position and plant density, depending on the cv. concerned. For the Russian cv. Armavirec, LAC was independent of leaf position and plant density. For the Rumanian hybrid HS 18, LAC was dependent on leaf position but not plant density. For the French hybrid INRA 4701, LAC depended on both leaf position and plant density, but even in this case, it was concluded that LAC can be a useful aid in leaf area estimation. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Yeison Mauricio Quevedo-Amaya ◽  
José Isidro Beltrán-Medina ◽  
José Álvaro Hoyos-Cartagena ◽  
John Edinson Calderón-Carvajal ◽  
Eduardo Barragán-Quijano

Multiple factors influence rice yield. Developing management practices that increase crop yield and an efficient use of resources are challenging to modern agriculture. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate biological nitrogen fixation and bacterial phosphorous solubilization (biofertilization) practices with the selection of the sowing date. Three sowing dates (May, July and August) were evaluated when interacting with two mineral nutrition treatments using a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement. Leaf carbon balance, leaf area index, interception and radiation use efficiency, harvest index, dry matter accumulation, nutritional status, and yield were quantified. Results showed that the maximum yield was obtained in the sowing date of August. Additionally, yield increased by 18.92% with the biofertilization treatment, reaching 35.18% of profitability compared to the local production practice. High yields were related to a higher carbon balance during flowering, which was 11.56% and 54.04% higher in August than in July and May, respectively, due to a lower night temperature. In addition, a high efficient use of radiation, which in August was 17.56% and 41.23% higher than in July and May, respectively, contributed to obtain higher yields and this behavior is related to the selection of the sowing date. Likewise, a rapid development of the leaf area index and an optimum foliar nitrogen concentration (>3%) were observed. This allowed for greater efficient use of radiation and is attributed to the activity of nitrogen-fixing and phosphate solubilizing bacteria that also act as plant growth promoters.


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