title: Physiological traits contributed to the recent increase in yield potential of winter wheat from Henan Province, China.
abstract: This experiment aims to test the traits responsible for the increase in yield potential of winter wheat released in Henan Province, China. Seven established cultivars released in the last 20 years and three advanced lines were assayed. The results showed that grain yield was positively correlated with harvest index (HI), kernel number per square meter, and aboveground biomass. In addition, the HI and aboveground biomass showed an increasing trend with the year of release. Therefore, we can conclude that bread wheat breeding advances during recent decades in Henan Province, China, have been achieved through an increase in HI, kernel number per square meter, and aboveground biomass. A higher δ(13)C seems also to be involved in these advances, which suggests a progressive improvement in constitutive water use efficiency not associated with a trend towards lower stomatal conductance in the most recent genotypes. However, genetic advance does not appear related to changes in photosynthesis rates on area basis when measured in the flag leaf or the spike, but only to a higher, whole-spike photosynthesis. Results also indirectly support the concept that under potential yield conditions, the spike contributed more than the flag leaf to kernel formation.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain; Henan Tianmin Seed Company, Lankao County, Kaifeng, 475300, China.
authors.forename: Bangwei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Sanz-Sáez
authors.forename: Abdelhalim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elazab
authors.forename: Tianmin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Rut
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Bragado
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bort
authors.forename: Maria Dolors
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Serret
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Araus
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D014908:Triticum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes
keywords: Carbon isotopes; grain yield; net carbon exchange; nitrogen content; yield potential