Field Phenotyping for Yield and Environmental Stress Tolerance Traits

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2014) | Viewed by 38431

Special Issue Editor

Australian Grain Technologies, Waite Campus, Wine Innovation Central Building, Cnr of Hartley Grove & Paratoo Rd, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Interests: biotechnology; transgenic; agronomic traits; input traits; output traits; phenotyping; breeding; genetics; genome engineering; hybridization; hybrid crops
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Special Issue Information

Daer Colleague,

Advancements in transgenic and non-transgenic development of crop varieties with enhanced yield and/or increased tolerance to important environmental stresses, such as drought, depend largely on robust and accurate field phenotyping methods. Meaningful measurements of plant and crop phenotypes associated with desired traits in the field requires extensive understanding and application of multiple important parameters, such as site selection, site management, spatial analysis of field variables, experimental design and placement, statistical analysis methods, phenotype selection, data collection methods, plant sampling, remote sensing, spatial data analysis, geographic information systems etc. This special issue will focus on state-of-the-art and breakthrough field phenotyping methods and technologies related to the topics described above.

Dr. Tristan Coram
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • field phenotyping
  • drought tolerance
  • stress tolerance
  • remote sensing
  • field site selection
  • secondary phenotypes
  • spatial data analysis
  • geographic information system

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

1312 KiB  
Article
A Combined Field/Laboratory Method for Assessment of Frost Tolerance with Freezing Tests and Chlorophyll Fluorescence
by Franz-W. Badeck and Fulvia Rizza
Agronomy 2015, 5(1), 71-88; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy5010071 - 17 Mar 2015
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6109
Abstract
Recent progress in genotyping allows for studies of the molecular genetic basis of cold resistance in cereals. However, as in many other fields of molecular genetic analysis, phenotyping for high numbers of genotypes is still a major bottleneck. The use of chlorophyll fluorescence [...] Read more.
Recent progress in genotyping allows for studies of the molecular genetic basis of cold resistance in cereals. However, as in many other fields of molecular genetic analysis, phenotyping for high numbers of genotypes is still a major bottleneck. The use of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements as an indicator for freezing stress is a well established and rapid method for evaluation of frost tolerance. In order to extend the applicability of this technique beyond plants grown under controlled conditions in growth chambers and sacrificed for the test, here we study its applicability for leaves harvested from field trials during winter and subjected to freezing tests. Such an approach allows for simultaneous studies of the advancement of cold hardening and other components of winter survival apart from frost tolerance. It is shown that cutting or senescence of cut leaves does not have adverse effects on the outcome of subsequent freezing stress tests. The time requirements for field sampling and laboratory testing on high numbers of genotypes allow for the application of the proposed approach for genotyping/phenotyping studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Field Phenotyping for Yield and Environmental Stress Tolerance Traits)
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7883 KiB  
Article
Field Phenotyping of Soybean Roots for Drought Stress Tolerance
by Berhanu A. Fenta, Stephen E. Beebe, Karl J. Kunert, James D. Burridge, Kathryn M. Barlow, Jonathan P. Lynch and Christine H. Foyer
Agronomy 2014, 4(3), 418-435; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy4030418 - 13 Aug 2014
Cited by 153 | Viewed by 16547
Abstract
Root architecture was determined together with shoot parameters under well watered and drought conditions in the field in three soybean cultivars (A5409RG, Jackson and Prima 2000). Morphology parameters were used to classify the cultivars into different root phenotypes that could be important in [...] Read more.
Root architecture was determined together with shoot parameters under well watered and drought conditions in the field in three soybean cultivars (A5409RG, Jackson and Prima 2000). Morphology parameters were used to classify the cultivars into different root phenotypes that could be important in conferring drought tolerance traits. A5409RG is a drought-sensitive cultivar with a shallow root phenotype and a root angle of <40°. In contrast, Jackson is a drought-escaping cultivar. It has a deep rooting phenotype with a root angle of >60°. Prima 2000 is an intermediate drought-tolerant cultivar with a root angle of 40°–60°. It has an intermediate root phenotype. Prima 2000 was the best performing cultivar under drought stress, having the greatest shoot biomass and grain yield under limited water availability. It had abundant root nodules even under drought conditions. A positive correlation was observed between nodule size, above-ground biomass and seed yield under well-watered and drought conditions. These findings demonstrate that root system phenotyping using markers that are easy-to-apply under field conditions can be used to determine genotypic differences in drought tolerance in soybean. The strong association between root and nodule parameters and whole plant productivity demonstrates the potential application of simple root phenotypic markers in screening for drought tolerance in soybean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Field Phenotyping for Yield and Environmental Stress Tolerance Traits)
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276 KiB  
Article
Considerations When Deploying Canopy Temperature to Select High Yielding Wheat Breeding Lines under Drought and Heat Stress
by R. Esten Mason and Ravi P. Singh
Agronomy 2014, 4(2), 191-201; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy4020191 - 11 Apr 2014
Cited by 52 | Viewed by 7560
Abstract
Developing cultivars with improved adaptation to drought and heat stressed environments is a priority for plant breeders. Canopy temperature (CT) is a useful tool for phenotypic selection of tolerant genotypes, as it integrates many physiological responses into a single low-cost measurement. The objective [...] Read more.
Developing cultivars with improved adaptation to drought and heat stressed environments is a priority for plant breeders. Canopy temperature (CT) is a useful tool for phenotypic selection of tolerant genotypes, as it integrates many physiological responses into a single low-cost measurement. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of CT to predict grain yield within the flow of a wheat breeding program and assess its utility as a tool for indirect selection. CT was measured in both heat and drought stressed field experiments in northwest Mexico on 18 breeding trials totaling 504 spring wheat lines from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Irrigated Bread Wheat program. In the heat treatment, CT was significantly correlated with yield (r = −0.26) across all trials, with a maximum coefficient of determination within the individual trials of R2 = 0.36. In the drought treatment, a significant correlation across all trials was only observed when days to heading or plant height was used as a covariate. However, the coefficient of determination within individual trials had a maximum of R2 = 0.54, indicating that genetic background may impact the ability of CT to predict yield. Overall a negative slope in the heat treatment indicated that a cooler canopy provided a yield benefit under stress, and implementing selection strategies for CT may have potential for breeding tolerant genotypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Field Phenotyping for Yield and Environmental Stress Tolerance Traits)
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687 KiB  
Article
Identification of Water Stress in Citrus Leaves Using Sensing Technologies
by Kaitlin Johnson, Sindhuja Sankaran and Reza Ehsani
Agronomy 2013, 3(4), 747-756; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy3040747 - 13 Nov 2013
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7654
Abstract
Water stress is a serious concern in the citrus industry due to its effect on citrus quality and yield. A sensor system for early detection will allow rapid implementation of control measures and management decisions to reduce any adverse effects. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy [...] Read more.
Water stress is a serious concern in the citrus industry due to its effect on citrus quality and yield. A sensor system for early detection will allow rapid implementation of control measures and management decisions to reduce any adverse effects. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) presents a potentially suitable technique for early stress detection through elemental profile analysis of the citrus leaves. It is anticipated that the physiological change in plants due to stress will induce changes in the element profile. The major goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy as a method of water stress detection for potential use in the citrus industry. In this work, two levels of water stress were applied to Cleopatra (Cleo) mandarin, Carrizo citrange, and Shekwasha seedlings under the controlled conditions of a greenhouse. Leaves collected from the healthy and stressed plants were analyzed using LIBS, as well as with a spectroradiometer (visible-near infrared spectroscopy) and a thermal camera (thermal infrared). Statistical classification of healthy and stressed samples revealed that the LIBS data could be classified with an overall accuracy of 80% using a Naïve-Bayes and bagged decision tree-based classifiers. These accuracies were lower than the classification accuracies acquired from visible-near infrared spectra. An accuracy of 93% and higher was achieved using a bagged decision tree with visible-near infrared spectral reflectance data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Field Phenotyping for Yield and Environmental Stress Tolerance Traits)
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