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Morphology and Yield in Winter Wheat Grown in High Yielding Conditions

To reassess the relations of morphological characters and yield components in high yielding field conditions measurements were taken on a series of modern cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.) over 4 years. Morphological traits measured were leaf area, leaf dry weight, leaf area duration, specific weight of each of the three uppermost laminae, maximum width of the two upper laminae, dry weight and length of the flag sheath and peduncle, and of ear weight at anthesis. The relationships of these characters with yield/m², yield/shoot, and yield components (no. spikes/m², kernels/spikelet, spikelets/spike, kernel weight) were investigated across cultlvars using simple correlation, canonical correlation, multiple regression, factor, and principal components analyses.

Yield/shoot but not yield/m² was related to plant morphology. Dry weight of the flag sheath and of the second or third uppermost laminae were associated with the components of yield per shoot. Leaf area, leaf area duration and specific leaf weight were poorly associated with yield/shoot or yield/m². There was a consistent negative relationship between yield/shoot and number shoots/m². No yield component ranked consistently above the others in its relation to yield/shoot. The relationships with yield/shoot were not simply due to the association among vegetative areas producing assimilates and plant parts using them to grow in a predominantly source limited situation. The results could be explained by developmental correlations arising during the period of rapid stem elongation preceding anthesis.

Key Words: Correlation • Factor analysis • Principal component analysis • Leaf size • Yield components • Triticumm aestivum L.

Received for publication November 23, 1981.