Quantifying Leaf Development in Different Wheat Cultivars: Leaf Lifetime

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• J Pourreza ¹
• A Soltani ²

¹ Rmhormoz branch, Islamic Azad University

² Gorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources

10.22067/gsc.v17i4.72802

Abstract

Introduction
A major component in a crop growth model is leaf area development, which has crucial influence on photosynthesis and transpiration. Leaf area development involves the appearance of new leaves, expansion of the newly emerged leaves and senescence of old leaves. Modeling leaf growth has been extensively studied in many crops including cereals. Methods of predicting leaf area development are diverse from those dealing with the individual component processes of leaf growth, viz., leaf appearance, leaf expansion and leaf death to the models predicting leaf growth at the whole plant or whole crop levels. The concept of leaf lifetime is used in some crop simulations models to quantify the aging of the leaves after reaching thermal time to a certain amount. There is very little information about wheat aging time in the field, and most estimates of leaf lifetime are related to this observation that says on the main stem of wheat, at least 3 to 5 green leaves remains until pollination; one leaf is in the early stages of development, another leaf is completely developed and one to three leaves are aging. Quantitative information regarding leaf area development in wheat especially in environmental conditions with high temperatures for the purpose of crop modeling is scarce. Furthermore, genotypic variations have not been evaluated. Therefore, the goal of this research was to determine parameters related to leaf lifetime in wheat cultivars in warm environmental conditions.
Materials and Methods
The aim of this study was to quantify leaf lifetime of 15 different wheat cultivars. Two field experiments with 15 wheat cultivars (Atrak, Bayat, Chamran, Chenab, Dez, Ineia, Kavir, Marvdasht, Shiraz, S78-18, Yavaroos and shova-Mald) were conducted at the research farm of the Islamic Azad University of Ramhormoz Branch, south-western of Iran during 2008-9 and 2009-10 using a randomized complete block design with four replications. To determine leaf lifetime, a logistic model (Amax/[(1+exp)-a(x-b)]) was used in two stages. At first phase, changes in total plant leaf number versus growing degree days was determined, then, changes in plant senesced leaf number versus growing degree days were investigated.
Results and Discussion
The results indicate that the average of leaf lifetime based on growing degree days was 468.8 C dᵒ. This conclusion shows at optimum condition in terms of temperature, on average, a leaf lasts 468.8 C dᵒ. The average of phyllochron (the interval time between the sequential emergence of leaves on the main stem of a plant) was 84 C dᵒ in studied cultivars, upon which, the average of leaf lifetime in cultivars was 5.5 phyllochron. Hence, knowing the differences among hybrids in leaf area attributes may be useful in plant breeding, crop management and in wheat growth modeling.
Conclusions
 Based on the results, there were no significant differences between wheat cultivars in terms of parameters related to leaf lifetime on stem. The relationships presented in this study describe leaf lifetime under well-watered condition and reflect the effects of carbon and nitrogen availability and remobilization under these conditions. However, they do not account for the effects of shortage of carbon, nitrogen or water on leaf development. Other relationships are required to predict these effects.

Keywords

• Growing degree days
• Leaf area
• Modeling
• Senesced leaves
• Total plant leaf number

20.1001.1.20081472.1398.17.4.2.6

---

References

1. Abeledo, L. G., Calderini, D. F., and Slafer, G. A. 2004. Leaf appearance, tillering and their coordination in old and modern barleys from Argentinia. Field Crops Research 86: 23-32.

2. Arkin, G. F., Rosenthal, W. D., and Jordan, W. R. 1983. A sorghum leaf area model. American Society of Agricultural Engineers 25 pp.

3. Benbella, M., and Paulsen, G. M. 1998. Efficacy of treatments for delaying senescence of wheat leaves: II. Senescence and grain yield under field conditions. Agronomy Journal 90: 332-338.

4. Ghaderi-Far, F., Soltani, A., and Sadeghipour, H. R. 2009. Evaluation of nonlinear regression models in quantifying germination rate of medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo convar. Pepo var styriaca), borago (Borago officinalis L.) and black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) to temperature. Journal of Plant Production 16: 1-19. (in Persian).

5. Hammer, G. L. 1998. Crop modeling: Current status and opportunities to advance. Acta Horticulture 456: 27-36.

6. Hay, R. K. M., and Wilson, G. 1982. Leaf appearance and extension in field-grown winter wheat plants: the importance of soil temperature during vegetative growth. Journal of Agricultural Science 99: 403-410.

7. Hofstra, G., Hesketh, J. D., and Myhre, D. L. 1977. A plastochron model for soybean leaf and stem growth. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 57: 167-175.

8. John, R., Porter, J. R., and Gawith, M. 1999. Temperatures and the growth and development of wheat: a review. European Journal of Agronomy 10 (2): 23-36.

9. Lizaso, J. I., Batchelor, W. D., and Westgate, M. E. 2003. A leaf area model to simulate cultivar-specific expansion and senescence of maize leaves. Field Crops Research 80: 1-17.

10. Kitajima, K., Mulkey, S.S., Samaniego, M., and Wright, S. J. 2002. Decline of photosynthetic capacity with leaf age and position in two tropical pioneer tree species, Journal of Botany 89 (12): 1925-1932.

11. MCMaster, G. S. 2005. Phytomers, phyllochrons, phenology and temperate cereal development. Journal of Agricultural Science 143: 137-150.

12. Maria, B., Garcia, F., Xavier, P., and Johan, E. 2008. Life span correlates with population dynamics in perennial herbaceous plants. American Journal of Botany 95 (2): 258-262.

13. Ranganathan, R., Chamhan, Y. S., Flower, D. J., Robertson, M. J., Sanetra, C., and Silim, S. N. 2001. Predicting growth and development of pigeonpea: leaf area development. Field Crops Research 69: 163-127.

14. Rickman, R.W., Waldman, S. E., and Klepper, B. 1996. MODWht3: A development-driven wheat growth simulation. Agronomy Journal 88: 176-185.

15. Reich, P. B., Walters, M. B., and Ellsworth, D. S. 1992. Leaf Life-Span in Relation to Leaf, Plant, and Stand Characteristics among Diverse Ecosystems. Ecological Monographs 62 (3): 365-392.

16. Robertson, M. J., Carberry, P. S., Huth, N. R., Turpin, J. E., Probert, M. E., Poulton, P. L., Bell, M., Wright, G. E., Yeates, S. J., and Brinsmead, R. B. 2002. Simulation of growth and development of diverse legume species in APSIM. Australian journal of Agricultural Research 53: 429-446.

17. Romas, J. M., Gareiadel Moral, L. F., and Reelade, L. 1983. Dry matter and leaf area relationship in winter barley. Agronomy Journal 75: 308-310.

18. Royo, C., Aparicio, N., Blanco, R., and Villagas, D. 2004. Leaf and green development of durum wheat enotypes grown under Mediteranian conditions. Europian Journal of Agronomy 32: 11-20.

19. Schulz, E. D., Beck, E., and Hohenstein, K. M. 2005. Plant Ecology. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York.

20. Sinclair T. R., Gilbert, R. A., Perdomo R. E., Shine, J. M., Powell, G., and Montes, G. 2004. Sugarcane leaf area development under field conditions in Florida, USA. Field Crops Research 88: 171-178.

21. Sinclair, T. R. 1984. Leaf area development in field-grown soybeans. Agronomy Journal 76: 141-146.

22. Sinclair, T. R., Gilbert, R. A., Perdomo, R. E., Shine junior, J. M., Powell, G., and Montes, G. 2004. Sugarcane leaf area development under field conditions in Florida, USA. Field Crops Research 88: 171-178.

23. Sinclair, T. R., and Seligman, N. G, 1996. Crop modeling: from infancy to maturity. Agronomy Journal 88: 698-704.

24. Slafer, G. A., and Rawson, H. M. 1995. Photoperiod× temperature interactions in contrasting wheat genotypes time to heading and final leaf number. Field Crops Research 44: 73-83.

25. Slafer, G. A., and Savin, R. 1991. Developmental Base Temperature in Different Phenological Phases of Wheat (Triticum aestivum). Journal of Experimental Botany 42 (241): 1077-1082.

26. Soltani, A., Hammer, G. L., Torabi, B., Robertson, M. J., and Zeinali, E. 2006. Modeling chickpea growth and development: phenological development. Field Crops Research 99: 1-13.

27. Suarez, N. 2010. Leaf lifetime photosynthetic rate and leaf demography in whole plants of Ipomoea pes-caprae growing with a low supply of calcium, a ‘non-mobile’ nutrient N. Journal of Experimental Botany 61 (3): 843-855.

28. Torabi, B., and Soltani, A. 2012. Quantifying emergence response to temperature of chickpea. Journal of Crop Production 6: 109-119. (in Persian).

29. Wiegand, C. L., Gerbermann, A. H., and Cuellar, J. A. 1981. Development and duofhard red winter wheats under semitropical conditions. Agronomy Journal 73: 29-37.

30. Yoshida, H., Horie, T., Katsura, K., and Shiraiwa, T. 2007. A model explaining genotypic and environmental variation in leaf area development of rice based on biomass growth and leaf N accumulation. Field Crops Research 102: 228-238.

31. Zadoks, J. C., Chang, T. T., and Konzak, C. F. 1974. Decimal code for the growth stages of cereals. Weed Research 14: 415-422.