Registration of 'Ceora' grass pea.
Abstract In the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia the yield of barley relative to wheat is influenced by soil type. Field trials studied detailed aspects of growth, development, yield and water use of a range of barley and wheat cultivars on 2 soil types at 2 locations to identify those factors that lead to the differential relative yields. Barley had greater grain yields than wheat on both fine and coarse textured soils. On both soil types barley had a greater number of mainstem leaves which appeared faster than those of wheat and this was associated with greater tillering (6.5 v. 3.5 shoots/plant), higher GAI and greater dry matter production (845 v. 804 g/ m). The difference in yield between the two species was greater on the fine textured soil (15 v. 7 %). Barley also had greater harvest index than wheat (6—15%), and this combined with greater dry matter production on the fine textured soil led to a larger yield advantage over wheat than occurred on the coarse textured soil. Water use efficiency was greater for barley than for wheat on both soils. The greater yield advantage of barley over wheat on the fine textured soil was the result of greater biomass production by barley and greater harvest index. Differences in pattern of water use, and water use efficiency of grain production were associated with greater barley yields but are not themselves considered to be the cause of relative yield differences across soil types. The possible implications of factors such as intrinsic nutrient supply on the 2 soil types in relation to observed yield differences are discussed.
Wheat cultivars with very early maturities appropriate for late sowings in low-rainfall (<325 mm) short-season environments are currently unavailable to wheat growers in the eastern margin of the cropping region of Western Australia. A demonstration that very early-maturing genotypes can out-perform current commercial cultivars would open new opportunities for breeding programs to select very early-maturing, high- and stable-yielding cultivars for these environments. Six field experiments were conducted over 4 seasons at 2 low-rainfall sites in Western Australia to investigate crop growth, grain yield, and water use efficiency of very early-maturing genotypes compared with current commercial cultivars when sown after 1 June. Very early-maturing genotypes reached anthesis up to 24 days (328 degree-days) earlier than the current cultivars, produced less leaves, had similar yields and dry matter, and maintained high water use efficiencies. On average across seasons and locations the very early-maturing genotypes (W87–022–511, W87–114–549, W87–410–509) yielded more than the later maturing cultivars Gamenya and Spear (190 v. 160 g/m2) but they were similar to the early-maturing commercial cultivars Kulin and Wilgoyne (191 g/m2). Very early-maturing genotypes generally had a higher harvest index and produced fewer spikelets, but heavier and more grains, than Kulin and Wilgoyne. There were only small differences in total water use between very early-maturing genotypes and commercial cultivars; however, very early-maturing genotypes used less water in the pre-anthesis period and more water in the post-anthesis period than the later maturing genotypes, and hence, experienced less water deficit during the grain-filling period. This study indicates that there is a role for very early-maturing genotypes in low-rainfall short-season environments, when the first autumn rains arrive late (after 1 June).
