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Semi-High Throughput Screening for Potential Drought-tolerance in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Germplasm Collections
Published on: April 17, 2015
Mechanistic insights into enhanced drought resistance of modern cultivars and drought-tolerance indicator screening
Yuee Liu1, Jinfeng Xing1, Tianfang Lv1
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Maize DNA Fingerprinting and Molecular Breeding, Maize Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture & Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Cultivar improvement is an important means of enhancing drought resistance in maize. Investigating the reasons for enhanced drought resistance in modern cultivars and screening drought tolerance indicators are of great significance for the breeding of drought-tolerant maize cultivars in China. This study first assess the drought resistance in cultivars from different eras and its influencing factors and then examines the relationship between drought resistance and phenotypic indexes to screen for drought resistance indicators useful for breeders in selecting drought-resistant cultivars. An investigation of drought resistance was performed in a rainout shelter in Hengshui, Hebei, over the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. The experiment employed a split-split plot design, which comprised nine maize hybrids representing different eras and three water treatment levels (full irrigation, moderate drought, and intense drought). Grain yield and phenotypic indexes of different maize hybrids from different eras (1970s to 2010s) were compared under different water treatments. Maize yield showed a significant linear increase with the year of release (p < 0.01). The maize yield of modern cultivars (Cluster III) under full irrigation, moderate drought, and intense drought was 9.08 t ha-1, 7.03 t ha-1, and 6.11 t ha-1, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of older cultivars (Cluster I, Cluster II). Modern cultivars consistently exhibited superior drought tolerance compared to older cultivars. The enhanced drought resistance and yield in modern maize cultivars were driven primarily by a significant increase in harvest index. Additionally, smaller root size and increased deep roots in modern cultivars were significant contributors to improved drought resistance. Drought had the greatest effect on tasseling to silking interval, the number of ears per hectare, ear height and ear length, which were identified as the drought resistance indicators. Our findings provide valuable insights for breeding and selecting drought-resistant maize cultivars.
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