Soil exploration by sorghum root systems in wide row cropping systems

Wide and ‘skip row’ row configurations have been used as a means to improve yield reliability in grain sorghum production. However, there has been little effort put to design of these systems in relation to optimal combinations of root system characteristics and row configuration, largely because little is known about root system characteristics. The studies reported here aimed to determine the potential extent of root system exploration in skip row systems. Field experiments were conducted under rain-out shelters and the extent of water extraction and root system growth measured. One experiment was conducted using widely-spaced twin rows grown in the soil. The other experiment involved the use of specially constructed large root observation chambers for single plants. It was found that the potential extent of root system exploration in sorghum was beyond 2m from the planted rows using conventional hybrids and that root exploration continued during grain filling. Preliminary data suggested that the extent of water extraction throughout this region depended on root length density and the balance between demand for, and supply of, water. The results to date suggest that simultaneous genetic and management manipulation of wide row production systems might lead to more effective and reliable production in specific environments. Further study of variation in root-shoot dynamics and root system characteristics is required to exploit possible opportunities

Estimation of responses of yield and grain protein concentration of malting barley to nitrogen fertiliser using plant nitrogen uptake

The effect of nitrogen application on the grain yield and grain protein concentration of barley was studied in 13 field trials covering a wide range of soil N conditions over 4 years at locations in south-eastern Queensland. The main objectives of the study were to quantify the response of barley to N application rate over a range of environmental conditions, and to explain the response in terms of soil mineral N, total N uptake, and N distribution in the plants. Barley made efficient use of N (60 kg grain/kg N) until grain yield reached 90% of maximum yield. Grain protein concentration did not increase to levels unacceptable for malting purposes until grain yield exceeded 85–90% of maximum yield. Nitrogen harvest index was generally high (above 0·75), and did not decrease until the total N supply exceeded that necessary for maximum grain yield. Rates of application of N for malting barley should be determined on the basis of soil analysis (nitrate-N) to 1 m depth and 90% of expected maximum grain yield, assuming that 17 kg N is taken up per tonne of grain produced. It can further be assumed that the crop makes full use of the nitrate N to 1 m present at planting, provided the soil is moist to 1 m. A framework relating grain yield to total N uptake, N harvest index, and grain N concentration is presented. Further, total N uptake of fertilised barley is related to N uptake without fertiliser, fertiliser application rate, and apparent N recovery. The findings reported here will be useful in the development of barley simulation models and decision support packages that can be used to aid N management

Estimation of responses of yield and grain protein concentration of malting barley to nitrogen fertiliser using plant nitrogen uptake

The effect of nitrogen application on the grain yield and grain protein concentration of barley was studied in 13 field trials covering a wide range of soil N conditions over 4 years at locations in south-eastern Queensland. The main objectives of the study were to quantify the response of barley to N application rate over a range of environmental conditions, and to explain the response in terms of soil mineral N, total N uptake, and N distribution in the plants. Barley made efficient use of N (60 kg grain/kg N) until grain yield reached 90% of maximum yield. Grain protein concentration did not increase to levels unacceptable for malting purposes until grain yield exceeded 85–90% of maximum yield. Nitrogen harvest index was generally high (above 0·75), and did not decrease until the total N supply exceeded that necessary for maximum grain yield. Rates of application of N for malting barley should be determined on the basis of soil analysis (nitrate-N) to 1 m depth and 90% of expected maximum grain yield, assuming that 17 kg N is taken up per tonne of grain produced. It can further be assumed that the crop makes full use of the nitrate N to 1 m present at planting, provided the soil is moist to 1 m. A framework relating grain yield to total N uptake, N harvest index, and grain N concentration is presented. Further, total N uptake of fertilised barley is related to N uptake without fertiliser, fertiliser application rate, and apparent N recovery. The findings reported here will be useful in the development of barley simulation models and decision support packages that can be used to aid N management

On the extent of genetic variation for transpiration efficiency in sorghum

A glasshouse study examined 49 diverse sorghum lines for variation in transpiration efficiency. Three of the 49 lines grown were Sorghum spp. native to Australia; one was the major weed Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), and the remaining 45 lines were cultivars of Sorghum bicolor. All plants were grown under non-limiting water and nutrient conditions using a semi-automatic pot watering system designed to facilitate accurate measurement of water use. Plants were harvested 56–58 days after sowing and dry weights of plant parts were determined. Transpiration efficiency differed signficantly among cultivars. The 3 Australian native sorghums had much lower transpiration efficiency than the other 46 cultivars, which ranged from 7·7 to 6·0 g/kg. For the 46 diverse cultivars, the ratio of range in transpiration efficiency to its l.s.d. was 2·0, which was similar to that found among more adapted cultivars in a previous study. This is a significant finding as it suggests that there is likely to be little pay-off from pursuing screening of unadapted material for increased variation in transpiration efficiency. It is necessary, however, also to examine absolute levels of transpiration efficiency to determine whether increased levels have been found. The cultivar with greatest transpiration efficiency in this study (IS9710) had a value 9% greater (P < 0·05) than the accepted standard for adapted sorghum cultivars. The potential impact of such an increase in transpiration efficiency warrants continued effort to capture it. Transpiration efficiency has been related theoretically and experimentally to the degree of carbon isotope discrimination in leaf tissue in sorghum, which thus offers a relatively simple selection index. In this study, the variation in transpiration efficiency was not related simply to carbon isotope discrimination. Significant associations of transpiration efficiency with ash content and indices of photosynthetic capacity were found. However, the associations were not strong. These results suggest that a simple screening technique could not be based on any of the measures or indices analysed in this study. A better understanding of the physiological basis of the observed genetic differences in transpiration efficiency may assist in developing reliable selection indices. It was concluded that the potential value of the improvement in transpiration efficiency over the accepted standard and the degree of genetic variation found warrant further study on this subject. It was suggested that screening for genetic variation under water-limiting conditions may provide useful insights and should be pursued

Nonequilibrium capture of impurities that completely block kinks during crystal growth

Some impurities cannot integrate into isolated kinks because they completely block the growth of the kinks to which they adsorb. For this class of impurity, we derive an equation for the amount that incorporates into a crystal during growth of the elementary step by assuming that such an impurity incorporates if and only if it gets captured between a kink and an antikink. We show that the impurity concentration in the crystal increases monotonically with the impurity concentration in the mother phase, but that it can vary non-monotonically with both the supersaturation of the mother phase and the kink density of the step. In contrast to other capture mechanisms, we find that weakly adsorbed impurities incorporate to an extent that is independent of the supersaturation when the supersaturation is high. Irrespective of the growth conditions, the amount of impurity that can incorporate into a crystal is limited by an upper bound determined by the kink density

Calcite Kinks Grow via a Multistep Mechanism

The classical model of crystal growth assumes that kinks grow via a sequence of independent adsorption events where each solute transitions from the solution directly to the crystal lattice site. Here, we challenge this view by showing that some calcite kinks grow via a multistep mechanism where the solute adsorbs to an intermediate site and only transitions to the lattice site upon the adsorption of a second solute. We compute the free energy curves for Ca and CO3 ions adsorbing to a large selection of kink types, and we identify kinks terminated both by Ca ions and by CO3 ions that grow in this multistep way

Transformational agronomy by growing summer crops in winter: Crop establishment in cold soils

Winter sown sorghum reduces the impact of heat and water stresses around flowering and increases cropping intensity, though, achieving uniform plant establishment remains challenging. Sowing sorghum in winter will require crops to uniformly germinate and emerge in soils which are cooler than the recommended >16ºC minimum daily temperature, during the driest time of the year. Prolonged emergence periods and reduced total emergence can decrease canopy uniformity with negative impacts on yield, crop management and cropping system intensity. Acceptable establishment percentages (>80%) were achieved for some site by seedlot combinations, though large differences in establishment rate between seedlots were observed. The differences in seedlot emerge rate were related to final establishment. This calls for seed vigour testing, novel seed production technologies, management of seedbed hydrothermal conditions and breeding programs for cold tolerance

Sowing summer grain crops early in late winter or spring: Effects on root growth, water use, and yield

CONTEXT. Drought and extreme heat at flowering are common stresses limiting the yield of summer crops. Adaptation to these stresses could be increased by sowing summer crops early in late winter or spring, to avoid the overlap with critical crop stages around flowering. Though little is known about the effects of cold weather on root growth, water use and final grain yield in sorghum. OBJECTIVE. To research the effects of cold conditions in early sowing sorghum on crop and root growth and function (i.e., water use), and final grain yield. METHODS. Two years of field experiments were conducted in the Darling and Eastern Downs region of Qld, Australia. Each trial consisted of three times of sowing (late winter, spring, and summer), two levels of irrigation (i.e., rainfed and supplementary irrigated), four plant population densities (3, 6, 9 and 12 pl m⁻²), and six commercial sorghum hybrids. Roots and shoots were sampled at the flag leaf stage on three times of sowing, two levels of irrigation, and three replications, for a single hybrid and a single plant population density (9pl m⁻²). Crop water use and functional root traits were derived from consecutive electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys around flowering. At maturity crop biomass, yield and yield components were determined across all treatments. RESULTS. The combinations of seasons, times of sowing and levels of irrigation created large variations in growth conditions that affected the growth and production of the crops. Early sowing increased yield by transferring water use from vegetative to reproductive stages increasing water use efficiency (kg mm⁻¹ available water). The larger yields in the early and spring sown crops were associated to larger grain numbers, particularly in tillers. Cold temperatures in the early sowing times tended to produce smaller crops with smaller rooting systems, smaller root-to-shoot ratios, and larger average root diameters. Total root length and root length density increased with increasing pre-flowering mean air temperatures up to 20°C. Linear relationships were observed between an EMI derived index of root activity and the empirically determined values of root length density (cm cm⁻³) at flowering. CONCLUSIONS. Sowing sorghum, a summer crop, early in late winter or spring transferred water use from vegetative stages to flowering and post-flowering stages increasing crop water use efficiency. The higher grain numbers in early sown crops were related to higher grain numbers in tillers. Root length and root length density were reduced by pre-flowering mean temperatures lower than 20°C, indicating a need to increase cold tolerance for early sowing. The EMI derived index of root activity has potential in the development of high throughput root phenotyping applications

Transformation agronomy by growing summer crops in winter: Winter sown sorghum

History shows that transformational changes in agriculture are rarely associated with the adoption of single innovations. It has been argued that transformative changes in agriculture have usually resulted from the incremental adoption of complementary technologies, and result in ongoing increases in yield from improvements from breeding and agronomy – though gains in productivity remain piece meal, insufficient and primarily confused with adoption processes. Here we propose that there is a role and need to design research that aims to be more transformative, likely to have larger than the ongoing or incremental gains, and that can be achieved in shorter periods of time. This argument is discussed by summarising the results of a four-year cross-agency research program conducted across Eastern Australia that tested crop designs of winter sown sorghum (WSS). The innovation is a systems adaptation with the potential to produce gains in productivity and farmer profits beyond what is the incremental or ongoing yield gain – though impact will still be dependent on adoption rates