Root/shoot growth effects
on yield level and stability
in barley
y cultivar mixtures
Nils-Ove Bertholdsson
Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Biotechnolog
SLU, Alnarp
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
www.slu.se
Root studies in hydroponics
14 day
d off
cultivation
New solution
after one week
No aeration
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Relationship
p between seedling
g root length
g and mean ggrain yyield of 10
barley cultivar/lines in area A-C (south of Sweden) a year without early
summer drought (A) and with early summer drought (B)
8000
3800
A
B
7500
3600
r = -089
7000
r = 042
3400
6500
6000
3200
5500
3000
5000
4500
70
80
90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170
2800
70
80
90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170
110
C
Relationshipp between seedling
g root length
g
measured in hydroponics and grain yield from
official trials 1999-2005 in Denmark (C). The
cultivars are a mixture of Swedish and Danish
cultivars
cultivars.
105
100
95
90
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Field studies
The field data used in this
study is the DARCOF II
BAR-OF project with six 3component variety mixtures
of spring barley and the
component cultivars tested
at 20 (18) environments
during 2002 – 2005.
2005 Most
sites were using an
“organic”
organic growing system
system.
Mix 1
and
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Mix 2
Mixture effects on yield and root
and seedling development
Relative mixture effects = the relative
diff
differences
bbetween
t
th
the mixture
i t
andd the
th
mean value of the components
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Stability Parameters
MSdevXHY- the variance of deviation from site highest
g
yield, as described by Jensen (1976) calculated as a
measure of static stability.
y Low value=high
g stability
y
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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M1(2,4,7)
M2 (3,6,14)
M3 (5,8,9)
M4 (4,13,14)
M5 (10,11,12)
(10 11 12)
M6 (1
(1,6,11)
6 11)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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If the variance of the tree
component
p
varieties is
high the mixture show a
tendency of high yield
stability (low MSdevXHY)
Allelobiosis studies
M1=Otira, Orthega,
Landora (High stability)
M4=Orthega, Brazil,
Danuta (Low stability)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Föjo no. 1
Föjo no. 4
Otira 12
Oti
Landora 23
Orthega 16
Brazil
B
il 45
Danuta 44
Orthega 16
0.54
4545
4544
4516
4445
0.46
4444
0.5
4416
2323
2316
2312
1623
1616
1612
1223
0.5
1216
0.55
0.58
1645
0.6
0.62
1644
0.65
1616
Root/shoot raatio
0.66
1212
Root/shoot raatio
R
0.7
M1=Otira, Orthega, Landora (High stability)
M4=Orthega, Brazil, Danuta (Low stability)
Result.
The growth allocations between the root and shoot in Orthega are changes in
favour of the shoot in presence of Brazil or Danuta in Föjo no. 4.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Conclusions
 early growth of both shoot and root (early vigour)
off component varieties
i i are important
i
for
f the
h yield
i ld
of mixtures
 variety mixtures are in most cases more stable and
high yielding than the average of their components
 There are some tendencies that variations in shoot
and root growth (weight) may improve yield
stability
t bilit andd with
ith more mixtures
i t
included
i l d d the
th
observed trends may have been significant.
 There could be some interference between
component varieties
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Acknowledgements
The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural
Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), The Danish Research
C
Centre
ffor O
Organic Farming (DARCOF)
(
CO ) and the project members off
BAR-OF.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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