White lupin (Lupinus albus) variation for adaptation to severe drought stress

This study aimed to reduce the gap of knowledge on white lupin drought tolerance variation, by assessing the grain yield of 21 landraces from major historical cropping regions, one variety and two breeding lines in a large phenotyping platform that imposed controlled severely stressed or moisture‐favourable conditions after an initial stage of favourable growth. Drought stress reduced grain yield by 79%. Genetic correlation coefficients indicated moderate consistency of genotype responses across conditions for grain yield (r_g = 0.76), fairly high consistency for straw yield (r_g = 0.85) and harvest index (r_g = 0.91), and high consistency for flowering time (r_g = 0.99). However, low genetic correlation for yield (r_g = 0.31) occurred among a subset of genotypes with early phenology. Specific adaptation to either condition implied significant (p = 0.05) genotype × condition interaction of crossover type between well‐performing genotypes. Early flowering was an important stress escape mechanism, but intrinsic drought tolerance could be inferred from responses of a few genotypes. Various landraces out‐yielded the improved germplasm under stressed or favourable conditions.     

Genetic relationships between attributes in sugarcane clones closely related to Saccharum spontaneum

Summary Saccharum spontaneum is being used in sugarcane breeding programs in attempt to improve characteristics such as ratooning ability and stress tolerance. A population of F₁ (Saccharum officinarum or commercial variety x S. spontaneum) and F₁ x F₁ sugarcane clones was evaluated for sugar yield and a range of yield components in a plant and two ratoon crops. The aim was to determine genetic correlations between attributes in clones with a large component of S. spontaneum, that could be used to help derive appropriate selection indices in such populations.There were close associations between the same attributes measured in different crop-years and the associations between different attributes were generally similar across crop-years. Stalk number and fibre content were positively correlated, as were stalk weight and CCS. The latter two attributes (which are low in S. spontaneum but high in S. officinarum) were negatively correlated with the former two (high in S. spontaneum, low in S. officinarum). Sugar yield was more closely associated with stalk weight and CCS than with stalk number but became more closely associated with stalk number with successive ratoon crops.CCS was positively correlated (r_g=0.55) with cane yield in the plant crop but showed a small negative correlation with cane yield (r_g=–0.20) in the second ratoon crop. CCS (measured in any crop) also had a negative correlation with cane yield in the ratoon crops expressed as a percentage of plant cane yield. This suggests that CCS is negatively correlated with levels of traits contributing to ratooning ability. Intensive selection among such populations for CCS without consideration of ratooning performance may reduce the frequency of favourable specific ratooning characteristics.Abbreviations CCS commercial cane sugar     

Inter-relationships among cane yield and commercial cane sugar and their component traits in autumn plant crop of sugarcane

Seventeen diverse clones of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) (7 early, 6 mid season and 4 late) were planted in October 1991 and 1992 in flooded (FE) and non flooded (NFE) environments for evaluation of cane yield, commercial cane sugar (CCS), internode length, internode number, stalk length, stalk thickness (circumference), stalk number, sugar recovery, and stalk weight. Cane yield showed significant positive phenotypic correlation coefficient (PCC) with stalk number in FE (P ≤ 0.05) and NFE (P ≤ 0.01). Stalk length had a significant positive PCC with stalk weight in both environments, and with internode length in FE (P ≤ 0.05). Commercial cane sugar also expressed significant positive PCC with cane yield in both environments (P ≤ 0.01), but with stalk number only in NFE (P ≤ 0.05). Genotypic correlation coefficients were generally in the same direction as PCC but higher in magnitude. In both environments, stalk number and stalk weight had relatively high positive direct effects on cane yield. However, flooding tended to enhance the direct effect of stalk weight and diminish the direct effect of stalk number on cane yield. Only cane yield and sugar recovery had high direct effects on CCS. Selection for improvement of cane yield can be based on stalk number and stalk weight in both environments. High yielding clones can be further screened for more sugar recovery to improve CCS. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of recombination in the maize breeding population with exotic germplasm on the yield stability

A little knowledge exists about the probability that recombination in the parental maize populations will enhance the chances to select more stable genotypes. The synthetic parent maize population ((1601/5 × ZPL913)F₂ = R₀) with 25% of exotic germplasm was used to assess: (i) genotype × environment interaction and estimate stability of genotypes using nonparametric statistics; (ii) the effect of three (R₃) and five (R₅) gene recombination cycles on yield stability of genotypes; (iii) relationship among different nonparametric stability measures. The increase of mean grain yield was significant (P < 0.01) in the R₃ and R₅ in comparison to the R₀, while it was not significant between R₃ and R₅. Analysis of variance showed significant (P < 0.01) effects of environments, families per set, environment × set interaction, family × environment interaction per set on grain yield. The non-significant noncrossover and significant crossover (P < 0.01) G × (E) interactions were found according to Bredenkamp procedures and van der Laan-de Kroon test, respectively. The significant (P < 0.01) differences in stability were observed between R₀-set 3 and R₅-set 3 determined by S_i⁽³⁾ S_{i}^{(3)} , R₃-set 1 and R₅-set 1 determined by S_i⁽³⁾ S_{i}^{(3)} (P < 0.05), and R₀-set 3 and R₅-set 3 determined by S_i⁽⁶⁾ S_{i}^{(6)} (P < 0.05). The significant parameters were those which take into account yield and stability so the differences could be due to differences in yield rather than stability. Findings can help breeders to assume the most optimum number of supplementary gene recombination to achieve satisfactory yield mean and yield stability of maize genotypes originating from breeding populations.     

Genotype x environment interaction for durum wheat grain yield and selection for drought tolerance in irrigated and droughted environments in Iran

Durum wheat is grown in the Mediterranean region under stressful and variable environmental conditions. In a 4-year-long experiment, 14 genotypes [including 11 durum breeding lines, two durum (Zardak) and bread (Sardari) wheat landraces, and one durum (Saji) newly released variety] were evaluated under rainfed and irrigated conditions in Iran. Several selection indices [i.e. stress tolerance index (STI), drought tolerance efficiency (DTE), and irrigation efficiency (IE)] were used to characterize genotypic differences in response to drought. The GGE biplot methodology was applied to analyze a three-way genotype-environment-trait data. Combined ANOVA showed that the year effect was a predominant source of variation. The genotypes differed significantly (P < 0.01) in grain yield in the both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Graphic analysis of the relationship among the selection indices indicated that they are not correlated in ranking of genotypes. The two wheat landraces and the durum-improved variety with high DTE had minimum yield reduction under drought-stressed environments. According to STI, which combines yield potential and drought tolerance, the “Saji” cultivar followed by some breeding lines (G11, G8, and G4) performed better than the two landraces and were found to be stable and high-yielding genotypes in drought-prone rainfed environments. The breeding lines G8, G6, G4, and G9 were the efficient genotypes responding to irrigation utilization. In conclusion, the identification of the durum genotypes (G12, G11, and G4) with high yield and stability performance under unpredictable environments and high tolerance to drought stress conditions can help breeding programs and eventually contribute to increasing and sustainability of durum production in the unpredictable conditions of Iran.     

Genotypic variability and genotype by environment interactions for inulin content of Jerusalem artichoke germplasm

Genetic variations in germplasm and genotype × environment interaction (G × E) are important for crop improvement. The objectives were to explore genetic variation in Jerusalem artichoke germplasm and to evaluate G × E interaction for inulin content. Seventy-nine accessions of Jerusalem artichoke were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with two replications for three seasons. Significant variation in inulin content (55.3–74.0% dry weight) was observed and the genotypes with high inulin content could be identified although there was intermediate G × E interaction. Genotypes were also significantly different for days to maturity, fresh tuber yield, biomass and harvest index and G × E interactions for these traits were also significant. The correlation between inulin content and days to maturity was not significant (r = −0.20), whereas inulin content and fresh tuber yield were significantly associated (r = 0.22). JA 37 and CN 52867 are promising for high yield and inulin content.     

Agronomic performance of winter wheat grown under highly divergent soil moisture conditions in rainfed and water‐managed environments

Even in the temperate climates of Europe, increasing early season drought and rising air temperature are presenting new challenges to farmers and wheat breeders. Sixteen winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes consisting of three hybrids, six line cultivars and two breeding lines from Germany as well as five line cultivars from France, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Ukraine (referred to as “exotic” lines) have been included in this study. The genetic materials were evaluated over three growing seasons under a range of soil moisture regimes at the three North German sites Braunschweig (irrigated and drought‐stressed), Warmse (rainfed) and Söllingen (rainfed). The average grain yields in the twelve growth environments (water regime × season combinations) ranged from 6.1 to 13.5 t ha^?1. The exotic lines showed little evidence of specific phenological adaptation to drought although they are frequently faced with water scarcity in their countries of origin. The hybrids and German lines exhibited higher regression coefficients (b_i) to environmental means than the exotic lines, indicating particular adaptation to favourable growing conditions. The phenotypical correlations of grain yield between the various environments were high, ranging for instance from 0.6 to 0.8 for the irrigated and drought‐stressed environments at Braunschweig. It is thus expected that in the foreseeable future continued selection aiming at high yield potential will suffice as a means to counter the expected increase in droughts.     

Effect of rice straw biochar and irrigation on growth,dry matter yield and radiation-use efficiency of maize grown on an Acrisol in Ghana

In order to determine whether the current low productivity associated with rainfed cultivation on degraded soils in Ghana can be improved by biochar amendment and irrigation, field experiments with maize were conducted over two seasons in 2017 and 2018. Rice straw biochar at rates of 0 t/ha (B₀), 15 t/ha (B₁₅) and 30 t/ha (B₃₀) was combined with irrigation regimes of full irrigation (I₁₀₀), deficit irrigation (I₆₀) and no irrigation (I₀). The I₁₀₀ treatment was irrigated to field capacity every 3–4 days according to time domain reflectometry measurements while the I₆₀ treatment received 60% of the irrigation amount given to I₁₀₀ but with the same irrigation frequency. The I₀ treatment was not irrigated. In both seasons, the B₃₀ treatment recorded the highest total dry matter yield (TDMY), intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) and radiation-use efficiency (RUE) and these were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than B₀ except for RUE in 2017. Irrigation regimes did not significantly affect TDMY, IPAR and RUE in 2017 but compared to I₁₀₀, I₀ significantly reduced TDMY, IPAR and RUE in the relatively dryer 2018 season. Measured ratio vegetation indices differentiated biochar treatments earlier in the 2018 season than during 2017 and increase of leaf chlorophyll content indices with biochar rate in both seasons indicated that biochar amendment improved nitrogen uptake. Our study demonstrated that rice straw biochar is capable of increasing TDMY, IPAR and RUE of maize grown on degraded soils in Ghana. The study further showed that TDMY, IPAR and RUE of deficit irrigated maize for two seasons were similar to the counterpart fully irrigated maize and may be a viable water management option for farmers in Ghana to save irrigation water resources.     

Genotype-by-environment interaction analysis of rice (Oryza spp.) yield in a floodplain ecosystem in West Africa

West Africa has large areas of river floodplains, most of which are not currently used for farmland. Rice (Oryza spp.) is a promising crop for farming in floodplains because of its high adaptability to a wide range of water environments. On the other hand, there is great variation in soil fertility and water availability even in a small area within a floodplain. Hence, we evaluated 27 rice genotypes in four fields in three years in a floodplain of the Northern Region of Ghana to investigate genotype × environment (G × E) interactions for rice yield and to identify stable, high-yielding genotypes. The genotypes consisted of O. sativa, O. glaberrima and New Rice for Africa (NERICA), and many were selected for their reported submergence resistance because of the anticipated submergence damage in the floodplain. There were large variations in yield, which ranged from 0.14 to 5.35 t ha⁻¹ depending on the location within a floodplain, genotype and year, and there were significant genotype, environment and G × E interaction effects on yield, accounting for 24.8%, 20.2%, and 28.2%, respectively, of the total variation. The results suggested that selection of suitable location with high soil fertility and low risk of submergence is necessary to achieve high yield in a floodplain. In addition, early sowing would be effective high-yielding crop management, which reduced the risk of submergence-induced damage just after sowing and secured sufficient growth duration to achieve high yield. Genotype IR42 showed the highest average yield among environments, but its yield stability was low. On the other hand, several genotypes including Amankwatia, a local aromatic cultivar adapted to irrigated and lowland environments, and IRBL9-W[RL], a blast-tolerant variety containing the Sub1 gene for submergence tolerance, showed high, stable yield. To put these results to practical use in other floodplain areas in West Africa, physiological mechanisms causing G × E interaction for rice yield should be further studied.     

Improving adaptation to drought stress in white pea bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): Genotypic effects on grain yield,yield components and pod harvest index

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume crop in Africa and Latin America where rainfall pattern is unpredictable. The objectives were to identify better yielding common bean lines with good canning quality under drought, and to identify traits that could be used as selection criteria for evaluating drought‐tolerant genotypes. In all, 35 advanced lines were developed through single seed descent and evaluated with a standard check under drought and irrigated conditions at two locations over 2 years in Ethiopia. Grain yield (GY), pod number per m², seed number per m² and seed weight decreased by 56%, 47%, 49% and 14%, respectively, under drought stress. Eight genotypes had better yield with good canning quality under drought compared to the check. Moderate to high proportion of genetic effects were observed under drought conditions for GY and yield components compared to genotype × environment effects. Significant positive correlations between GY and pod harvest index (PHI) in drought suggest that PHI could be used as an indirect selection criterion for common bean improvement.     

Relationship between Carbon Isotope Discrimination and Grain Yield in Spring Wheat under Different Water Regimes and under Saline Conditions in the Ningxia Province (North-west China)

The relationship between grain yield and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) was analysed in wheat grown under different water regimes in the Ningxia Province (north‐west of China). When the association was significant, the relationships between grain yield, Δ and other drought tolerance related traits, such as leaf ash content (m_a), chlorophyll concentration (Chl), relative water content (RWC), stomatal conductance (g_S) and the ratio of internal CO₂ leaf concentration to ambient CO₂ concentration (C_i/C_a), were also examined. Using correlation analysis, the relationships were determined during two consecutive years in a set of 20 spring wheat cultivars (landraces, improved varieties and advanced lines) under rainfed and irrigated conditions, including saline conditions. The relationship between Δ and yield within environments highly depended on the quantity of water stored in the soil at sowing, the quantity and distribution of rainfall during the growth cycle, and the irrigation before anthesis. Δ predicted grain yield under limited irrigation (post‐anthesis water stress) but not under pre‐anthesis water stress (rainfed conditions), fully irrigated and saline conditions. Under limited irrigation, grain Δ correlated significantly to grain yield leaf m_a at heading and maturity. It also significantly positively correlated to Chl, RWC, g_S and C_i/C_a assessed at anthesis. A precise characterization of the timing and intensity of the abiotic constraints experienced by the crop is consequently needed before implementing the use of Δ in wheat breeding programmes.     

Estimation of grain yield by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy in durum wheat

Near-infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used for routine, non-destructive assessment of grain quality in cereals. In this work, we assess the use of NIRS as an indirect indicator of grain yield (GY) in durum wheat grown in Mediterranean conditions. Plants were grown under rain-fed conditions in two sites in NW Syria, Breda and Tel Hadya, and a third trial was planted at Tel Hadya under support irrigation. We measured the spectral reflectance signature between 1100 and 2500 nm in flour from the same grains harvested for yield determination. By Partial Least Squares (PLSR), we obtained a model of the association between agronomic determinations of GY and these spectra. We found significant (p < 0.001) relationships between GY and NIRS-predicted values, with r ²= 0.36 (N= 96), r ²= 0.72 (N= 72) and r ²= 0.52 (N= 138) in Breda, and Tel Hadya rainfed and irrigated, respectively. Full cross validation of these models gave r ² between 0.31 and 0.33 (p < 0.001). When we applied the models to the samples from the other two trials, we found a general decrease in their predictive ability. Compared with other grain traits (carbon isotope discrimination, grain weight, ash and nitrogen content), NIRS showed a similar or even stronger relationship with GY, at least when validated in the same trial. We concluded that NIRS could be used to rank GY during the early generations of a breeding program, when performing yield trials is less feasible. However, further research is required to identify the environments in which this technique is more reliable, as well as to evaluate the heritability of NIRS-predicted GY.     

Genotype × environment interaction for yield and reaction to leaf spot infections in groundnut in semiarid West Africa

Capitalizing on the yield potential in available groundnut germplasm, and high stability of kernel yield are important requirements for groundnut producers in semiarid environments. Forty-seven groundnut genotypes were evaluated from 2003 to 2005 at 4 locations representative of the Guinea and Sudan savanna ecologies in Ghana. The objectives were to assess genotypic differences in reaction to early and late leaf spot infections under natural field conditions, assess the extent of genotype × environment (G × E) interaction for kernel yield, and determine the relationship between yield potential and yield stability. Genotypes differed significantly in their reaction to leaf spot infections indicated by the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). Genotypic AUDPC was negatively correlated with maturity period (P < 0.01), with kernel yield (P < 0.05) at each of the 3 locations in the Guinea savanna ecology but not in the Sudan savanna ecology and with each of four stability parameters (P < 0.05). High or low yielding genotypes were grouped based on Dunnett’s test at P < 0.10. High yielding groups had significantly low AUDPC, high biomass, high partitioning of dry matter for kernel growth, and were later in maturity compared to low yielding genotypes. Significant G × E interaction effect for kernel yield was dominated mainly by the lack of correlation among environments variance (76–78%) relative to the heterogeneity of genotypic variance component (22–24%). Stability of yield assessed through the among-environment variance, Wricke’s ecovalence, and Finlay-Wilkinson regression coefficient revealed that genotypes in the higher yielding group were relatively unstable compared to the low yielding group. Indicated by the Kataoka’s index of yield reliability, however, relatively unstable genotypes in the high yielding group are expected to be more productive even under assumptions of high risk aversion (P = 0.75–0.95) compared to the more stable, low yielding genotypes. The findings indicate that deploying these recently developed germplasm in semiarid regions in West Africa provides a better match to farmers’ risk-averse strategies compared with the use of existing earlier maturing cultivars.     

Multi-attribute responses of maize inbred lines across managed environments

In maize (Zea mays L.) breeding programs, selection among and within segregating progenies is based mainly on indirect selection criteria. A better understanding of the environment influence on physiological attributes of maize inbred lines is important to the identification and selection of superior inbred lines as well as to successful hybrid seed production. In this study, the size and form of genotype (G) and genotype × environment (G × E) interaction effects for plant grain yield (PGY) and several physiological attributes were examined for 12 maize inbred lines grown in four managed environments, represented by two seasons (Y) and two nitrogen levels. Mixed model analysis revealed that the G effect was relatively high for attributes related to light capture, phenology, early biomass production, and numerical components of PGY. The G × E interaction effect explained most of the variability for PGY, harvest index (HI), and biomass production at maturity. Three-mode principal component analysis allowed us to: (1) describe the associations among multiple attributes across environments, (2) reveal the form of the main patterns of G × E interaction, (3) establish the importance of the genotype × year (G × Y) interaction for kernel number, HI, and biomass at maturity in determining PGY, (4) identify promising genotypes of high-PGY across environments, and (5) detect genotypes of similar response patterns for PGY but with a contrasting relative behavior for other attributes, which may permit the simultaneous selection for grain yield and desired secondary traits. Such selection results would contribute greatly in the identification of superior inbreds than selecting for grain yield alone.

Relationship between the first and second crops and estimation of genetic parameters of the second crop on the nutritive value of timothy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phleum pratense</Emphasis> L.)

Improvement of the nutritive value of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) through breeding should result in enhanced livestock productivity. This study investigated the extent of genotype × crop interaction (G × C) between the first and second crops, and the extent of genotype × year interaction (G × Y) and narrow-sense heritability (h _N²) of the second crop of the nutritive value of timothy. Twenty-six clones were used to evaluate these interactions in 2007 and 2008, and 17 clones and their half-sib progeny were used to evaluate the h _N² in 2010 in Kunneppu, Japan by analyzing their nutritive value. The content of water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) was significantly correlated between the two crops in 12 clones with many internode elongation stems (IES) in the second crop and the 2 years, with non-significant effects of G × C in these clones and G × Y. However, the low-digestible fiber (Ob) content and the ratio of Ob to organic cell wall showed weak to medium correlations between the two crops, regardless of IES ratio or the elapsed time of 2 years, with significant effects shown for the two interactions. The h _N² of the three traits was medium to high. These results suggest that, in the second crop, selections for WSC content through the first crop in genotypes with many IES in the second crop, and under multiple environments in other traits are potentially useful; and that recurrent selection which utilizes an additive genetic variance is likely to be effective for the three traits.     

Non-parametric measures of phenotypic stability in chickpea genotypes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer arietinum</Emphasis> L.)

Multi-environment trials (MET) play an important role in selecting the best cultivars and/or agronomic practices to be used in future years at different locations by assessing a cultivar's stability across environments before its commercial release. Objective of this study is to identify chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes that have high yield and stable performance across different locations. The genotypes were developed by various breeders at different research institutes/stations of Iran and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dray Areas (ICARDA), Syria. Several statistical methods were used to evaluate phenotypic stability of these test chickpea genotypes. The 17 genotypes were tested at six different research stations for two years in Iran. Three non-parametric statistical test of significance for genotype × environment (GE) interaction and ten nonparametric measures of stability analyses were used to identify stable genotypes across the 16 environments. The non-parametric measures (Kubinger, Hildebrand and Kroon/Van der) for G × E interaction were highly significant (P < 0.01), suggesting differential responses of the genotypes to the test environments. Based on high values of nonparametric superiority measure (Fox et al. 1990) and low values of Kang's (1988) rank-sum stability parameters, Flip 94-123C was identified as the most stable genotype. These non parametric parameters were observed to be associated with high mean yield. However, the other nonparametric methods were not positively correlated with mean yield and were therefore not used in classifying the genotypes. Simple correlation coefficients using Spearman’s rank correlation, calculated using ranks was used to measure the relationship between the stability parameters. To understand the nature of relationships among the nonparametric methods, a hierarchical cluster analysis based on non weighted values of genotypes, was performed. The 10 stability parameters fell into three groups.     

Genetic progress of oats in Italy

The genetic gain of oats in Italy over the past 40 years was evaluated using 14 cultivars belonging to three different groups: (i) five cultivars derived from local populations at the beginning of the oat breeding in Italy; (ii) four foreign cultivars, introduced in Italy in the 1980s; (iii) five modern cultivars, selected through specific breeding programmes. The genotypes were tested for 2 years in three locations characterised by different climatic conditions and agricultural practices; furthermore in one location in Southern Italy, irrigated and rainfed plots were compared. Genetic gain was estimated equal to 3.6 g m⁻² y⁻¹ based on eight environments. The performance of the most recent cultivars was high under both irrigated and rainfed conditions, showing a good adaptation of these genotypes to both fertile and drought prone environments. Finally, yield increase in oats was found to be negatively correlated with plant height and positively correlated with test weight and seed weight.     

Aerial canopy temperature differences between fast‐ and slow‐wilting soya bean genotypes

Drought stress limits crop growth and yield in soya bean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), but there are relatively few tools available to assess the ability of different genotypes to tolerate drought. Aerial infrared image analysis was evaluated as a potential tool for identifying drought tolerance in soya bean. Drought effects were evaluated from late vegetative to mid‐reproductive stages of soya bean development in an experiment with ten genotypes including five slow‐ and five fast‐wilting genotypes that were from a population derived from Benning×PI416937. There were two deficit irrigation levels for 2 years and one deficit irrigation level for the third year along with a fully irrigated control level. When the canopy was completely closed, relative canopy temperature was determined using an infrared camera taken from an aerial platform 50–75 m above the experiment. As water availability decreased, the relative canopy temperature generally increased. Moreover, slow‐wilting soya bean genotypes generally had lower canopy temperature compared to fast‐wilting genotypes, and grain yield was generally positively associated with cool canopy temperatures. The results indicate that the determination of canopy temperature is a promising tool for rapid characterization of drought‐related traits in soya bean.     

Genetic analysis of yield and related traits in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in dryland and irrigated environments

The definition of a suitable breeding strategy in drought-prone environments is an important task for sunflower breeders. To achieve this task, reliable information on heritability and gene effects on yield and related traits under these conditions is necessary. Thirty six sunflower hybrids were produced by factorial cross of six male-sterile and six restorer lines. Parents and their hybrids were evaluated in eight environments. Six environments consisted of two adjacent trials in the experimental area, the first under irrigation and the second under dryland conditions, during 1987, 1988 and 1992. The other environments were: one early planting trial in dryland conditions, conducted during 1987, and a winter trial planted in January during 1988. Estimates of female variance (σ_f) were significant for seeds per head, seed weight, head sterile center, days to blooming and oil content. Female × male interactions (σ² _fm) were significant for all characters except harvest index and index of susceptibility to drought. Estimates of narrow sense heritabilities, calculated with information from analyses combined across environments, were 0.65 for yield, 0.80 for seeds per head, 0.84 for seed weight, 0.81 for head diameter, 0.60 for sterile head center, 0.72 for oil content, 0.61 for harvest index, 0.72 for biomass, 0.94 for days to bloom, and 0.42 for drought susceptibility index. Heritability estimates for individual environments showed more variation for yield than for other traits. Estimates for heritability of canopy temperature were high (0.68–0.79). Rainfed yield was positively correlated with yield components and negatively correlated with canopy temperature and susceptibility index. It is concluded that an efficient breeding strategy for sunflower under moderate drought-stressed conditions is the simultaneous selection for seed yield in both rainfed and irrigated environments together with selection for canopy temperature and stem diameter. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal imaging for assessment of maize water stress and yield prediction under drought conditions

Maize production in Thailand is increasingly suffering from drought periods along the cropping season. This creates the need for rapid and accurate methods to detect crop water stress to prevent yield loss. The study was, therefore, conducted to improve the efficacy of thermal imaging for assessing maize water stress and yield prediction. The experiment was carried out under controlled and field conditions in Phitsanulok, Thailand. Five treatments were applied, including (T1) fully irrigated treatment with 100% of crop water requirement (CWR) as control; (T2) early stress with 50% of CWR from 20 days after sowing (DAS) until anthesis and subsequent rewatering; (T3) sustained deficit at 50% of CWR from 20 DAS until harvest; (T4) late stress with 100% of CWR until anthesis and 50% of CWR after anthesis until harvest; (T5) late stress with 100% of CWR until anthesis and no irrigation after anthesis. Canopy temperature (FLIR), crop growth and soil moisture were measured at 5-day-intervals. Under controlled conditions, early water stress significantly reduced maize growth and yield. Water deficit after anthesis had no significant effect. A new combination of wet/dry sponge type reference surfaces was used for the determination of the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI). There was a strong relationship between CWSI and stomatal conductance (R² = 0.90), with a CWSI of 0.35 being correlated to a 64%-yield loss. Assessing CWSI at 55 DAS, that is, at tasseling, under greenhouse conditions corresponded best to the final maize yield. This linear regression model validated well in both maize lowland (R² = 0.94) and maize upland fields (R² = 0.97) under the prevailing variety, soil and climate conditions. The results demonstrate that, using improved standardized references and data acquisition protocols, thermal imaging CWSI monitoring according to critical phenological stages enables yield prediction under drought stress.