Soil Type Influences Relative Yield of Barley and Wheat in a Mediterranean‐type Environment

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.

Contrasting performance of barley and wheat in a wide range of conditions in Mediterranean Catalonia (Spain)

“…When data from experiments where both species were compared in low‐yield conditions, which is the most frequent situation in Mediterranean environments, there was no clear evidence supporting the belief of a consistent advantage of barley over wheat (Simpson & Siddique, 1994), although in some studies this seemed to have been the case (Josephides, 1993). Although in our experiments we only analysed differences between one cultivar for each species, these cultivars were chosen to be representative of modern wheats and barleys actually grown by Catalonian farmers.…”

“…Comparisons of wheat and barley in the Mediterranean basin are rather scarce. In the region of Canberra (relatively dry but not necessarily Mediterranean), although López‐Castañeda & Richards (1994) showed that barley consistently outyielded wheat, comparisons between these species under Mediterranean environments of Western Australia (Simpson & Siddique, 1994) with the typical yield range for rainfed Mediterranean cereals (from <1 Mg ha −1 to approximately 3 Mg ha −1 ) did show that both yields are closely related ( r 2 = 0.83; P < 0.001), but did not show a clear yield advantage of barley over wheat (Fig. 1).…”

“… Relationship between barley and wheat yields adapted from an analysis in Mediterranean Western Australia (circles) by Simpson & Siddique (1994), including a case from a similar analysis in Italy () by Palumbo & Boggini (1994). Data from Simpson & Siddique (1994) included previously published data () by French & Ewing (1989), unpublished data () by the same authors or coworkers at Western Australia and data from their own experimentation (). The study by Palumbo & Boggini (1994) included three different years, but only one had yields representing the situation in most Mediterranean rainfed systems (the other 2 years had high yields, 3.3–5.2 Mg ha −1 and were not plotted).…”

Breeding cereals for Mediterranean conditions: ecophysiological clues for biotechnology application

“…Barley is the best adapted cereal for marginal Mediterranean areas (characterised by drought-prone conditions and poor soil fertility), whereas durum wheat, and even more so bread wheat, need better water and nutrient conditions. WUE increases in barley under water stress, more so than in wheat, triticale and oat (Good & Bell, 1980;Loboda, 1993;Rekika et al, 1995;Cattivelli et al, 2002), WUE being positively correlated with yield (Dakheel et al, 1994;Simpson & Siddique, 1994). Therefore, a priori, it makes more sense to select for drought tolerance in barley than in other cereals.…”

Barley: Physiology of Yield

“…It can also be positively correlated with yield (Dakheel et al 1994;Simpson and Siddique 1994). For example, mature grain dry weight, photosynthetic rate and WUE during the grain-filling period were greater in awned than in awnless barley genotypes (Bort et al 1994).…”