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- Title
Retrospective study in U.S. commercial sorghum breeding: II. Physiological changes associated to yield gain.
- Authors
Demarco, Paula A.; Mayor, Laura; Rotundo, José L.; Prasad, P. V. Vara; Morris, Geoffrey P.; Fernandez, Javier A.; Tamagno, Santiago; Hammer, Graeme; Messina, Carlos D.; Ciampitti, Ignacio A.
- Abstract
Understanding physiological changes in response to long‐term selection for yield can inform breeding decisions and hasten genetic gain. The objective of this study was to characterize changes over time in yield‐relevant physiological traits for hybrids with different years of release for grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). Field trials were conducted during the 2018 and 2019 seasons in 8 site‐years across the states of Kansas and Texas including 20 commercially available grain sorghum hybrids released by Pioneer between 1963 and 2017. Detailed yield‐related physiological traits were determined in 2 site‐years including grain yield and its components, grain filling, plant biomass, panicle length, and water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC) during the reproductive period. Consistent with estimates using historical yield data, sorghum yield improvement was 27 kg ha−1 yr−1. For the 2 site‐years with detailed yield‐related physiological traits, no changes in final grain weight, grain‐filling duration, and rate over time were documented. In contrast, grain number increased at a rate of 100 grains m−2 yr−1. Modern hybrids had larger panicle size and showed greater accumulation of WSC during vegetative period (as measured at the start of flowering) and greater remobilization of WSC during the reproductive period (after flowering) to grain, thus, maintaining grain size on the increased grain number per unit area and harvest index. These findings suggest that WSC dynamics play a critical role on past genetic yield gain in sorghum and its potential for future improvements should be considered. Core Ideas: Sorghum yield improvement was 27 kg ha−1 yr−1 over the last six decades in the United States.Grain number increased at 100 grains m−2 yr−1, with also a 0.4% per year gain in harvest index.No changes in grain size, and neither in grain‐filling duration nor in the rate were recorded.Modern hybrids had larger panicle size with greater water‐soluble carbohydrates.Water‐soluble carbohydrates remobilization plays a key role in sustaining grain size with increased grain number.
- Subjects
KANSAS; SORGHUM; PLANT biomass; PIONEER Corp.; GRAIN size; GRAIN yields; RETROSPECTIVE studies
- Publication
Crop Science, 2023, Vol 63, Issue 2, p867
- ISSN
0011-183X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/csc2.20845