scholarly journals Reduced nighttime transpiration is a relevant breeding target for high water-use efficiency in grapevine

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (32) ◽  
pp. 8963-8968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aude Coupel-Ledru ◽  
Eric Lebon ◽  
Angélique Christophe ◽  
Agustina Gallo ◽  
Pilar Gago ◽  
...  

Increasing water scarcity challenges crop sustainability in many regions. As a consequence, the enhancement of transpiration efficiency (TE)—that is, the biomass produced per unit of water transpired—has become crucial in breeding programs. This could be achieved by reducing plant transpiration through a better closure of the stomatal pores at the leaf surface. However, this strategy generally also lowers growth, as stomatal opening is necessary for the capture of atmospheric CO2 that feeds daytime photosynthesis. Here, we considered the reduction in transpiration rate at night (En) as a possible strategy to limit water use without altering growth. For this purpose, we carried out a genetic analysis for En and TE in grapevine, a major crop in drought-prone areas. Using recently developed phenotyping facilities, potted plants of a cross between Syrah and Grenache cultivars were screened for 2 y under well-watered and moderate soil water deficit scenarios. High genetic variability was found for En under both scenarios and was primarily associated with residual diffusion through the stomata. Five quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected that underlay genetic variability in En. Interestingly, four of them colocalized with QTLs for TE. Moreover, genotypes with favorable alleles on these common QTLs exhibited reduced En without altered growth. These results demonstrate the interest of breeding grapevine for lower water loss at night and pave the way to breeding other crops with this underexploited trait for higher TE.

Nativa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 675
Author(s):  
Petterson Baptista da Luz ◽  
Alessandro Aparecido Brito dos Santos ◽  
Valdete Campos Ambrosio

O mercado de pimentas para fins ornamentais é um setor recém explorado, mas com grande potencial de crescimento no ramo de floricultura e paisagismo. As pimenteiras que possuem folhagem variegada, porte baixo, frutos com coloração variada em seus diferentes estádios de maturação, contrastando com as folhagens, já são utilizadas como plantas ornamentais, cultivadas e comercializadas em vasos. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a variabilidade genética visando o potencial ornamental de acessos de Capsicum spp. através de modelos biométricos. Foram utilizados 55 acessos de Capsicum spp, e a caracterização morfoagronômica dos acessos foi realizada avaliando diferentes partes da planta. O terceiro par de correlações canônicas, com correlação de 0,51, associa plantas com área do dossel compacto-densa, com menor comprimento e largura de dossel e de pequeno porte, associado com folhagens estreitas e de pecíolo grande. Esta associação é vantajosa para ornamentação. Ficou evidenciada a presença de variabilidade genética na população, o que é bastante favorável ao melhoramento na medida em que a heterogeneidade genética possibilita a obtenção de ganhos por meio de seleção.Palavras-chave: pimenta; modelos biométricos; correlações canônicas; análise de trilha. GENETIC VARIABILITY FOCUSED ON ORNAMENTAL POTENTIAL OF A Capsicum spp. ACCESSION ABSTRACT: Pepper market for ornamental purposes is recently exploited; however, it has a great growth potential in floriculture and landscaping. Pepper with variegated foliage, small size, and varied fruit coloration at different ripening stages contrasting with leaves have already been used as ornamental plants cultivated and purchased as potted plants. This study aimed to evaluate genetic variability of Capsicum spp. focusing on its ornamental potential by means of biometric templates. Fifty-five Capsicum spp. accessions were used and a morpho-agronomic characterization of the accessions were performed by evaluating different plant parts. The third canonical correlations are 0.51 and it associates compact-dense, small, shorter length and width canopy plants with narrow foliage and large petiole, which is advantageous for ornamentation. Genetic variation was evidenced in the population being very favorable for plant breeding programs once genetic heterogeneity enables obtaining gains through selections.Keywords: pepper; biometric templates; canonic correlations; trail analysis.


2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 643 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Armstrong ◽  
J. E. Knee ◽  
P. T. Doyle ◽  
K. E. Pritchard ◽  
O. A. Gyles

A survey of 170 randomly selected, irrigated, dairy farms in northern Victoria and 9 in southern New South Wales was conducted to examine and benchmark the key factors influencing water-use efficiency. Water-use efficiency was defined as the amount of milk (kg milk fat plus protein) produced from pasture per megalitre of water (irrigation plus effective rainfall). Information on water-use, milk production, supplementary feeding, farm size and type, pasture management, and irrigation layout and management was collected for each farm by personal interview for the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons. The farms were ranked in the order of water-use efficiency with the average farm compared with the highest and lowest 10% of farms. The range in water-use efficiency was 25–115 kg milk fat plus protein/ML, with the highest 10% averaging 94 kg/ML and the lowest 10% averaging 35 kg/ML. The large range in water-use efficiency indicated potential for substantial improvement on many farms. The high water-use efficiency farms, when compared with the low group: (i) produced a similar amount of milk from less water (387 v. 572 ML) (P<0.05), less land (48 v. 83 ha) (P< 0.05) and a similar number of cows (152 v. 143 cows); (ii) had higher estimated pasture consumption per hectare (11.5 v. 5.5 t DM/ha) (P<0.01) and per megalitre (1.0 v. 0.5 t DM/ML) (P<0.01); (iii) had higher stocking rates (3.2 v. 1.8 cows/ha) (P<0.01); (iv) used higher rates of nitrogen fertiliser (59 v. 18 kg N/ha.year) (P<0.05) and tended to use more phosphorus fertiliser (64 v. 34 kg P/ha.year) (P<0.10); (v) used similar levels of supplementary feed (872 v. 729 kg concentrates/cow); (vi) had higher milk production per cow (396 v. 277 kg fat plus protein) (P<0.05); and (vii) directed a higher proportion of the estimated energy consumed by cows into milk production (53 v. 46%) (P<0.05). The survey data confirmed that irrigated dairy farm systems are complex and variable. For example, the amount of feed brought in from outside the milking area varied from 0 to 74% of the estimated total energy used by a milking herd. There was a large range in the level of supplement input amongst the farms in the high water-use efficiency group, and in the low water-use efficiency group. This indicates that the management of the farming system has a greater impact on the efficiency of water-use on irrigated dairy farms, than the type of system. The data from the survey provide information for individual farms, a measure of the water-use efficiency of the industry, and an indication of the quality of regional land and water resources.


2007 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Xing Cao ◽  
Zheng-Bin Zhang ◽  
Ping Xu ◽  
Li-Ye Chu ◽  
Hong-Bo Shao ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Young ◽  
P.-J. Derham ◽  
F. X. Dunin ◽  
A. L. Bernardi ◽  
S. Harden

We report exceptional productivity and associated water-use efficiency across seasons for commercial crops of rainfed spring wheat and grain sorghum growing on stored soil water in Vertosols on the Liverpool Plains, central-eastern Australia. Agreement between the independently measured terms of evapotranspiration (ET) and the soil water balance (in-crop rainfall + δsoil water) was achieved within acceptable uncertainty across almost all measurement intervals, to provide a reliable dataset for the analysis of growth and water-use relationships without the confounding influence of water outflow either overland or within the soil. Post-anthesis intrinsic transpiration efficiency (kc ) values of 4.7 and 7.2 Pa for wheat and sorghum, respectively, and grain yields of 8 and 7 t/ha from ET of 450 and 442 mm (1.8 and 1.6 g/m2.mm), clearly demonstrate the levels of productivity and water-use efficiency possible for well-managed crops within an intensive and productive response cropping sequence. The Vertosols in which the crops were grown enabled rapid and apparently unconstrained delivery of significant quantities of subsoil water (34% and 51% of total available) after anthesis, which enabled a doubling of pre-anthesis standing biomass and harvest indices of almost 50%. Durum wheat planted into only 0.30 m of moist soil and enduring lower than average seasonal rainfall, yielded less biomass and grain (2.3 t/ha) with lower water-use efficiency (0.95 g/m2.mm) but larger transpiration efficiency, probably due to reduced stomatal conductance. We argue that crop planting in response to stored soil water and management for high water-use efficiency to achieve high levels of average productivity of crop sequences over time can have a significant effect on both increased productivity and enhanced hydrological stability across alluvial landscapes.


HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 753C-753
Author(s):  
Ahmed ElObeidy*

One of the major steps in responding to imminent water shortages in the Middle East is improving water use efficiency. Drought-resistant crops would be an effective technology to curb rising demands of water. Columnar Cactus species characteristics fit with most of the requirements of a drought tolerant crop with very high water-use efficiency. Cereus cacti have physiological and morphological methods of exploiting environments that would soon desiccate other plants. Four Cereus species were introduced into UAE deserts and could be ideal for establishing crop plantations in the arid environment. The introduced fruiting cacti are Cereus hexagonus, C. pachanoi, C. peruvianus, and C. validus. Plants were propagated by cuttings in the greenhouse. Cuttings developed roots within 2*&8211;4 weeks of planting. The propagated plants were acclimatized and transplanted into the field in the desert. C. peruvianus was the most promising in the new environment in terms of its high adaptability and healthy growth in the new environment. C. pachanoi grew very fast, averaging up to a fifteen centimeter a month of new growth. C. pachanoi was recommended as a rootstock for other species. C. validus could not survive the new environment.


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