Relationship of barley leaf’s pigment content with development of yield structure elements

Abstract

Variation in contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments and their correlation links with elements of yield structure of 17 samples of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was estimated by method of spectrophotometric analysis of acetone extracts from flag and second leaves. The variability of chlorophyll a content was 13.3%, of chlorophyll b – 13.5%, and carotenoids – 14.4% for flag leaf, and respectively 11.6%; 10.8%; 11.2% - for second leaf. Practically there was no variation in distribution of pigments between light-harvesting complexes (LHC) and reaction centers (RC) of photosystems (the average value of a part of chlorophyll in a light-harvesting complex was 81% of its total amount at a variation of 2.8%). The flag leaf pigments’ content was not correlated with final productivity of barley plants (r ≤ 0.27) whereas for a second leaf it is revealed statistically significant (at p ≤ 0.05) interrelation between productivity and content of chlorophyll a (r = 0.64), chlorophyll b (r = 0.58), and carotenoids (r = 0.60). It is disclosed that in the studied set of spring barley samples, one can predict extent of the level of the next parameters: “ear length”, “grain mass per ear” and “1000-grains mass” by the pigments content in a flag leaf; and the parameters “ear length” and productivity – by its content in a second leaf. Among three analyzed photosynthetic pigments, yellow pigments (carotenoids) render the greatest influence on the level of development of separate elements of yield structure. Content of pigments in a second leaf is more suitable index for assessment of potential productivity of spring barley cultivars. Breeding work on increase of carotenoids and/or chlorophyll b contents in a second leaf is perspective.