Identification of stay-green and early senescence phenotypes in high-yielding winter wheat, and their relationship to grain yield and grain protein concentration using high-throughput phenotyping techniques.

Yield and grain protein concentration (GPC) represent crucial factors in the global agricultural wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production and are predominantly determined via carbon and nitrogen metabolism, respectively. The maintenance of green leaf area and the onset of senescence (Osen) are expected to be involved in both C and N accumulation and their translocation into grains. The aim of this study was to identify stay-green and early senescence phenotypes in a field experiment of 50 certified winter wheat cultivars and to investigate the relationships among Osen, yield and GPC. Colour measurements on flag leaves were conducted to determine Osen for 20 cultivars and partial least square regression models were used to calculate Osen for the remaining 30 cultivars based on passive spectral reflectance measurements as a high-throughput phenotyping technique for all varieties. Using this method, stay-green and early senescence phenotypes could be clearly differentiated. A significant negative relationship between Osen and grain yield (r2=0.81) was observed. By contrast, GPC showed a significant positive relationship to Osen (r2=0.48). In conclusion, the high-throughput character of our proposed phenotyping method should help improve the detection of such traits in large field trials as well as help us reach a better understanding of the consequences of the timing of senescence on yield.

[1]  B. Mistele,et al.  Spectral high-throughput assessments of phenotypic differences in biomass and nitrogen partitioning during grain filling of wheat under high yielding Western European conditions , 2013 .

[2]  K. Krupinska,et al.  Plant senescence and crop productivity , 2013, Plant Molecular Biology.

[3]  A. Walter,et al.  REVIEW: PART OF A HIGHLIGHT ON BREEDING STRATEGIES FOR FORAGE AND GRASS IMPROVEMENT Advanced phenotyping offers opportunities for improved breeding of forage and turf species , 2012 .

[4]  M. Hawkesford,et al.  Identification of differentially senescing mutants of wheat and impacts on yield, biomass and nitrogen partitioning. , 2012, Journal of integrative plant biology.

[5]  Matthew P. Reynolds,et al.  Stay-green in spri g wheat can be det rmined by spectral reflect nce measurements ( normalized difference vegetation index ) independently from phenology , 2012 .

[6]  M. P. Reynolds,et al.  Physiological breeding II: a field guide to wheat phenotyping , 2012 .

[7]  L. Cattivelli,et al.  Relationships between grain protein content and grain yield components through quantitative trait locus analyses in a recombinant inbred line population derived from two elite durum wheat cultivars , 2012, Molecular Breeding.

[8]  M. Tester,et al.  Phenomics--technologies to relieve the phenotyping bottleneck. , 2011, Trends in plant science.

[9]  B. Mistele,et al.  Comparison of active and passive spectral sensors in discriminating biomass parameters and nitrogen status in wheat cultivars , 2011 .

[10]  Simon Griffiths,et al.  Identification of traits to improve the nitrogen-use efficiency of wheat genotypes , 2011 .

[11]  Bodo Mistele,et al.  High throughput phenotyping of canopy water mass and canopy temperature in well-watered and drought stressed tropical maize hybrids in the vegetative stage , 2011 .

[12]  V. Allard,et al.  Anthesis date mainly explained correlations between post-anthesis leaf senescence, grain yield, and grain protein concentration in a winter wheat population segregating for flowering time QTLs. , 2011, Journal of experimental botany.

[13]  Bodo Mistele,et al.  Tractor‐Based Quadrilateral Spectral Reflectance Measurements to Detect Biomass and Total Aerial Nitrogen in Winter Wheat , 2010 .

[14]  Peter Langridge,et al.  Phenotyping approaches for physiological breeding and gene discovery in wheat , 2009 .

[15]  R. Motzo,et al.  The effect of nitrogenous fertiliser application on leaf traits in durum wheat in relation to grain yield and development , 2009 .

[16]  G. Hammer,et al.  Developmental and physiological traits associated with high yield and stay-green phenotype in wheat , 2008 .

[17]  Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel,et al.  ParLeS: Software for chemometric analysis of spectroscopic data , 2008 .

[18]  T. Mccaig,et al.  Flag leaf physiological traits in two high-yielding Canada Western Red Spring wheat cultivars , 2008 .

[19]  R. Sylvester-Bradley,et al.  Identifying physiological traits associated with improved drought resistance in winter wheat , 2007 .

[20]  B. Ney,et al.  The challenge of improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: towards a more central role for genetic variability and quantitative genetics within integrated approaches. , 2007, Journal of experimental botany.

[21]  B. Hirel,et al.  In winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), post-anthesis nitrogen uptake and remobilisation to the grain correlates with agronomic traits and nitrogen physiological markers , 2007 .

[22]  Jiwang Zhang,et al.  Slow Export of Photoassimilate from Stay‐green Leaves during Late Grain‐Filling Stage in Hybrid Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) , 2005 .

[23]  I. Tahir,et al.  Remobilization of Nitrogen and Carbohydrate from Stems of Bread Wheat in Response to Heat Stress during Grain Filling , 2005 .

[24]  R. Loomis,et al.  Nitrogen and plant production , 1981, Plant and Soil.

[25]  R. Sylvester-Bradley,et al.  Mapping quantitative trait loci for flag leaf senescence as a yield determinant in winter wheat under optimal and drought-stressed environments , 2004, Euphytica.

[26]  Q. Zhang,et al.  The genetic basis of stay-green in rice analyzed in a population of doubled haploid lines derived from an indica by japonica cross , 2004, Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

[27]  P. Shewry,et al.  Physiological characterization of 'stay green' mutants in durum wheat. , 2003, Journal of experimental botany.

[28]  V. Momčilović,et al.  Genetic variation for dry matter and nitrogen accumulation and translocation in two-rowed spring barley , 2001 .

[29]  V. Momčilović,et al.  Genetic variation for dry matter and nitrogen accumulation and translocation in two-rowed spring barley: I. Dry matter translocation , 2001 .

[30]  G. Hammer,et al.  Does maintaining green leaf area in sorghum improve yield under drought? II. Dry matter production and yield. , 2000 .

[31]  H. Thomas,et al.  Five ways to stay green. , 2000, Journal of experimental botany.

[32]  P. Pinter,et al.  Measuring Wheat Senescence with a Digital Camera , 1999 .

[33]  J. Fuhrer,et al.  Grain protein accumulation in relation to grain yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in open-top chambers with different concentrations of ozone, carbon dioxide and water availability , 1999 .

[34]  C. Campbell,et al.  Factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red spring wheat in the semiarid prairie. , 1997 .

[35]  A. Fischer,et al.  Senescence and protein degradation in leaf segments of young winter wheat: influence of leaf age , 1994 .

[36]  H. Thomas,et al.  Crops that stay green , 1993 .

[37]  J. Araus,et al.  Leaf photosynthesis and chloroplast senescence patterns in wheat flag leaves during grain filling , 1991 .

[38]  R. Sylvester-Bradley,et al.  Physiology in the production and improvement of cereals. , 1990 .

[39]  D. Aspinall,et al.  The physiology of starch and protein deposition in the endosperm of wheat. , 1990 .

[40]  C. Jenner,et al.  Differential Responses to High Temperatures of Starch and Nitrogen Accumulation in the Grain of Four Cultivars of Wheat , 1985 .

[41]  C. Campbell,et al.  EFFECT OF NITROGEN, TEMPERATURE, GROWTH STAGE AND DURATION OF MOISTURE STRESS ON YIELD COMPONENTS AND PROTEIN CONTENT OF MANITOU SPRING WHEAT , 1981 .

[42]  R. K. Scott,et al.  Barley and its Environment. V. Stability of Grain Weight , 1975 .

[43]  J. Zadoks.  A decimal code for the growth stages of cereals , 1974 .

[44]  H. H. Laar,et al.  Products, requirements and efficiency of biosynthesis: a quantitative approach. , 1974, Journal of theoretical biology.