A. Febrero et al., YIELD, CARBON-ISOTOPE DISCRIMINATION, CANOPY REFLECTANCE AND CUTICULAR CONDUCTANCE OF BARLEY ISOLINES OF DIFFERING GLAUCOUSNESS, Journal of Experimental Botany, 49(326), 1998, pp. 1575-1581
The roles of wax bloom (glaucousness) in discrimination against stable
isotope C-13 (Delta) and yield were studied for 2 years on a pair of
near-isogenic lines of two-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) differing
in their degree of glaucousness of the spike and the upper vegetative
parts of the plant other than leaf blades. The effects of glaucousnes
s on canopy reflectance and cuticular conductance were also assessed.
Plants were grown under fully irrigated and rainfed Mediterranean cond
itions for 2 years. Grain yield for both years and total straw biomass
measured in the second year were higher in glaucous than non-glaucous
lines under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Delta followed the
same pattern in both grain and straw with the highest values in the g
laucous line under irrigation and the lowest in the non-glaucous line
under rainfed conditions. Differences in yield and Delta between the l
ines were greater under irrigated than rainfed conditions. The higher
Delta of the glaucous line suggests that these plants had lower transp
iration efficiency (net photosynthesis to transpiration ratio) than th
e non-glaucous line in the long term. Canopy reflectance at some of th
e wavelengths of the PAR region (400-700 nm) was significantly higher
in the glaucous than in the non-glaucous line under both irrigated and
rainfed conditions. Rainfed conditions also increassed canopy reflect
ance in the PAR region, No significant effect of either glaucousness o
r water regime was observed in cuticular conductance or amount of cuti
cular waxes of the flag leaf blades or the ear.