SPATIAL AND INTERANNUAL VARIATIONS IN THE PHOTOTHERMAL QUOTIENT - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE POTENTIAL KERNEL NUMBER OF WHEAT CROPS IN ARGENTINA

Citation
Go. Magrin et al., SPATIAL AND INTERANNUAL VARIATIONS IN THE PHOTOTHERMAL QUOTIENT - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE POTENTIAL KERNEL NUMBER OF WHEAT CROPS IN ARGENTINA, Agricultural and forest meteorology, 67(1-2), 1993, pp. 29-41
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Metereology & Atmospheric Sciences",Agriculture,Forestry
ISSN journal
01681923
Volume
67
Issue
1-2
Year of publication
1993
Pages
29 - 41
Database
ISI
SICI code
0168-1923(1993)67:1-2<29:SAIVIT>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
Analyses were performed to evaluate the hypothesis that, under conditi ons of good water availability, variations in yield in the Argentine w heat belt were related to variations in the photothermal quotient (Pq, the ratio of mean daily incident short-wave radiation to mean daily t emperature in excess of 4.5 degrees C). Data relating to spring bread wheat yields collected between 1978 and 1985 at several sites of the n ational wheat nursery, for which good weather data were available, wer e filtered to eliminate trials which may have been exposed to drought and other adversities, such as disease and hail. There were significan t (P = 0.05) differences in yield, kernel number (Nk, grains m(-2)) an d, to some extent, kernel weight among crops grown at different sites under close to optimum levels of water and nutrient availability. Nk w as the most important determinant of yield, variations in Nk accountin g for 78% of the total variance in the yield. Cultivar effects, presum ably cultivar-specific differences in kernel weight, accounted for a f urther 14% of this variance. For the filtered data set, the relationsh ip between Nk and Pq for the 25 days prior to anthesis, accounted for 52% of the total variability in Nk. The Pq and cultivar together accou nted for 82% of total variability. Associations between Nk and either radiation or temperature alone were weaker, and site effects not accou nted for by Pg were very small. The Pq estimated from 12- to 15-year w eather records for the currently accepted optimum date of anthesis dif fered significantly (P = 0.05) between each of three representative si tes in the northern, central and southern parts of the wheat belt. Red uctions in potential Nk associated with interannual variations in Pg a t each site may be as much as 34% of maximum Nk for the site. The Pq f or anthesis dates of up to 20 days before or after the currently accep ted optimum at any of these sites did not differ with respect to the o ptimum date, thus no advantage in terms of greater Nk is to be expecte d from changes in anthesis dates.