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Doctoral Degrees (Crop Science)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Crop Science) by Author "Greenfield, Peter L."

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    Fluctuation of non-structural carbohydrates in the stem and ears of maize (Zea mays (L.)) during grain fill as influenced by water stress.
    (1991) Shanahan, Paul Edward.; Greenfield, Peter L.
    Stems of maize plants may serve as reservoirs for photosynthate produced in the leaves which may then be utilized for cell growth and maintenance requirements of the plants, and in particular for grain requirements during grain fill. Experiments were designed to ascertain the extent to which non-structural carbohydrates accumulate and are depleted in the stem and ears of locally cultivated maize hybrids during grain fill under conditions of water stress. Maize plants were grown: (i) under field conditions; (ii) under a rain-out shelter; and (iii) in pots placed inside a growth tunnel during grain fill. In the latter experiment whole maize plants were exposed to (14)C0(2) at selected intervals during grain fill. In the field trial large differences in the accumulation and depletion of total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) were found between the six hybrids tested. The water stress conditions that prevailed from mid-grain fill (MGF) to physiological maturity (PM) resulted in TNC content levels being lower at PM than at anthesis in all hybrids except for SR 52. Total non-structural carbohydrate content in the whole stem of PNR 6427, CG 4602 and PNR 473 declined from anthesis to PM. In contrast TNC content in the whole stem of SA 60 and HL 1 declined from anthesis to MGF and then increased substantially in SA 60 and marginally in HL 1 from MGF to PM. In the rain-out shelter trial, water stress resulted in a 38 % reduction in final grain yield in SA 6 compared to 25 % in K78Y x I137TN. The greater tolerance to water stress of the more modern hybrid K78Y x I137TN compared to the obsolete hybrid SA 6 may be attributed to a number of factors, namely: (i) K78Y x I137TN recorded a higher leaf area index throughout grain fill under stress and non-stress conditions compared to SA 6; (ii) it did not partition as much non-structural carbohydrate to the stem during the first three weeks of grain fill as did SA 6 and did not markedly deplete stem non-structural carbohydrate pools to the same extent as did SA 6 under stress and non-stress conditions; and (iii) in the last week of grain fill as the leaf water potential of K78Y x I137TN increased sharply under stress conditions, it exhibited an ability to deplete stem non-structural carbohydrates to supplement the supply of current photosynthate to the grain. In the 14(C)-labelling pot trial, the maize single cross hybrid B254W X M162W generally depleted TNC in vegetative organs in the latter half of grain fill under stress conditions, while under non-stress conditions TNC continued to accumulate in vegetative organs until PM. Both stressed and non-stressed plants assimilated less 14(C) on consecutive labelling occasions during grain fill. The amount of 14(C) assimilated at six weeks after anthesis was only 12,1 and 16,3 % of that assimilated at anthesis in stressed and non-stressed plants, respectively. Stressed and non-stressed plants labelled at anthesis translocated a smaller proportion of assimilated 14(C) to the grain during grain fill than plants labelled later. Consequently, stressed and non-stressed plants labelled at anthesis recorded the highest proportion of whole plant 14(C) recovered in the whole shoot at PM compared to plants labelled on any of the other occasions. At anthesis the primary ear was not yet established as the major sink for photosynthate and much of the 14(C) assimilated at anthesis was utilized for final structural growth of the whole shoot including the cob and husks of the primary ear. Stressed and non-stressed plants assimilated similar amounts of 14(C) at anthesis and two weeks after anthesis, however, stressed plants assimilated less 14(C) than non-stressed plants at four and six weeks after anthesis. Forty-eight hours after each labelling occasion, the stressed plants had partitioned a higher proportion of assimilated 14(C) to the grain than the non-stressed plants. However, by PM the non-stressed plants had partitioned an equal or greater proportion of whole plant 14(C) recovered at PM to the grain compared to the stressed plants. Radioactivity associated with component non-structural carbohydrates, was determined using ion-exchange column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. These procedures provided detailed data of the partitioning of 14(C) among glucose, fructose, sucrose and starch.
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    Season effects on the potential biomass and sucrose accumulation of some commercial cultivars of sugarcane.
    (2009) Donaldson, Robin Albert.; Greenfield, Peter L.
    An experiment was conducted at Pongola (27°24´S, 31°25´E; 308m altitude) in South Africa to study the effects of season on growth and potential biomass and sucrose yields on nine commercial sugarcane cultivars. The treatments that were the focus in this study consisted of the cultivars NCo376, N25 and N26 ratooned in March, April, May, August and December. The crops were well fertilized and kept free of weeds and diseases. Irrigation applications were scheduled with a computer programme to keep the crops free of stress at all times. Shoot populations were counted regularly to study shoot density dynamics. Leaf appearance rates, sizes, numbers and senescence were measured to study the development of green leaf area. Green foliage, dead trash and stalk mass were measured at 4, 8, 10, 11 and 12 months in each of the starting times and also at 13 months in the March, April and May ratoon crops. The fibre, sucrose and non-sucrose content of stalks were determined on these harvesting occasions. Yields were calculated in terms of individual shoots and area (m‾²). The fraction of PAR intercepted by the developing canopies was measured until full canopy and daily intercepted solar radiation was interpolated for the entire crop. An automated meteorological station adjacent to the experiment site provided daily weather data. Shoot densities were described by thermal time, however, average peak shoot densities were lowest in the May ratoon (31.8 m‾²) and highest in the December ratoon (48.7 m‾²). Shoot senescence was most rapid in August and December ratoons. At the final harvest shoot densities were highest in the March, April and May ratoon (14.8 to 14.2 m‾²) crops. NCo376 (16.4 m‾²) and N25 (13.6 m‾²) had higher final shoot densities than N26 (10.5 m‾²). Leaf appearance rate was also well described by thermal time, however the first twelve leaves took longer to appear in crops started in December i.e. the first phyllochron was longer (109.5°C d) than in crops started at other times (80.4 to 94.5°C d). Leaves produced during the early stages of December and August ratoon crops were larger (e.g leaf number 13 of N26 was 443 to 378 cm²) than in other crops. April and May ratoon crops produced much smaller leaves (e.g leaf number 9 of N26 was 170 to 105 cm²). Leaf senescence was slower in April and May ratoon crops (0.36 to 0.46 leaves per 100°C d) than in March (0.51 to 0.59 leaves per 100°C d) or August and December ratoon crops (0.60 to 0.68 leaves per 100°C d). December ratoon crops produced very high green leaf area indexes (LAI) (>7.0) at the age of four months; all other crops had lower LAI (3.3 to 6.0) and most peaked later (8 to 11 months of age). The LAI of N25 peaked at the age of 8 months while NCo376 and N26 peaked when 10 to 11 months old. Seasonal fraction of solar radiation intercepted was high in the March ratoon crops (0.84) and declined to 0.63 in the May ratoon crops and was highest in the December ratoon crop (0.88). N26 intercepted lower fractions of PAR than NCo376 and N25, particularly in the May and August ratoon crops. Biomass accumulation, although initially slow, tended to be linear in the March, April and May ratoon crops in relation to intercepted radiation. In August and particularly in the December ratoons biomass accumulation was initially rapid, and RUEs were high (2.65 g MJ‾¹ at 114 days in the December ratoon crops). However, biomass accumulation slowed when these December ratoon crops experienced winter. Low growth rates after winter, as well as low shoot densities resulted in December ratoon crops having produced significantly lower above-ground biomass yields (4 886 g m‾² at the age of 12 months) than March, April and May ratoon crops (6 760 to 5 715 gm‾² at the age of 12 months). The December ratoon crops responded poorly to the better growing conditions in spring and second summer and accumulated little biomass after winter. N26 shoots grew rapidly during the first 6-8 months of the December ratoon crop and it yielded better than NCo376 and N25 at harvesting (biomass yields were 5.8 and 13.3% higher at the age of 12 months, respectively). April ratoons produced significantly higher biomass yields (6 760 g m‾²) than March, August and December ratoons. May ratoon crops produced the highest cane fresh mass yields (18 151 g m‾²) and April, May and August ratoons produced significantly higher sucrose yields than March and December ratoons. The highest sucrose yield was produced by the April ratoon crop of N26 (2 385 g m‾²). On average, across the five ratoon dates, NCo376, N25 and N26 produced similar sucrose yields (1 902 to 1 959 g m‾²). Foliage production was severely limited during winter while sucrose accumulation was less affected by the low temperatures, resulting in accumulation of sucrose in the top sections of the culm. Low temperatures slowed the development of canopies in March, April and May ratoon crops, but these crops were able to recover their growth rates and produced high biomass and sucrose yields at the age of 12 months. The December ratoons experienced low winter temperatures (<12°C) when they had already accumulated relatively high yields and became moribund during winter. They were unable to accumulate any significant amounts of biomass during final four months before the final harvest at the age of 12 months. NCo376, N25 and N26 all yielded poorly in the December ratoon crop. However, there are cultivars that appear to be less sensitive to the low winters and are able to yield relatively well when they are ratooned in December. Sucrose yields of March, April and May ratoons were increased substantially (10.6 to 22.7%) by harvesting at the age of 13 months rather than at the age of 12 months. The poor growth of December ratoon crops after winter is possibly due to the recently revealed feedback signaling by high sugar levels induced by low temperatures on photosynthesis. The incorporation of the effects of low temperature and the feedback signaling with the objective of better simulating yields of December ratoons is a proposed study at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute. Annual mean sucrose yields of NCo376, N25 and N26 crops were estimated to be 17% higher in March than in December ratoons. The suggested short term remedy therefore of the poor December yields is to shift milling seasons to include March and exclude December harvested crops in the northern irrigated regions. March crops grow vigorously during the months close to harvesting and therefore have lower levels of sucrose content which can be corrected with chemical ripeners.