Plant population, shading and thinning studies in wheat

Summary

Three wheat experiments are described in which a range of plant populations were shaded during different periods of development; in two of the experiments plant thinning was also carried out at a number of growth stages. Shading during the period of ear development caused an appreciable decrease in grain yield by decreasing the number of grains per ear. Shading during the grain filling period also reduced grain yield, this being brought about by decreased grain size. Thus in contrast to the barley experiments reported earlier (Willey & Holhday, 1971), these particular results gave no indication of a potential surplus of carbohydrate for grain filling and an associated limited ear capacity. However, when plant thinning was carried out at anthesis to make more carbohydrate available for grain filling in the remaining ears, grain yield per ear did not increase. It is argued, therefore, that grain yield probably was determined at least partly by a limited ear capacity. Plant thinning at earlier stages showed how the development of competition during the ear development period progressively reduced the potential capacity of the ear; the greater competition of higher plant populations accelerated this reduction in ear potential.

From an examination of the effects of plant population, it is suggested that the number of grains per ear is the component having greatest influence on the decline in grain yield at above-optimum populations. The possible importance of the number of grains per unit area as an indicator of ear capacity on an area basis, and as a determinant of grain yield per unit area, is emphasized. A close relationship between grain yield per unit area and number of grains per unit area is illustrated for a number of plant-population response curves, and it is suggested that the decrease in grain yield at high populations is probably determined by a decrease in the number of grains per unit area. Evidence is presented to substantiate the idea put forward in the barley paper that this decrease in the number of grains per unit area may be attributable more to a lower production of total dry matter by the high populations during the later stages of ear development, than to an unfavourable partitioning of such dry matter between the ear and the rest of the plant.