Varietal Differences among Barley Seedlings Grown with Various Nutrient Solutions¹

Abstract

Seedlings of 24 spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties were grown in sand with continuous light and supplied with a complete nutrient solution or with a solution lacking nitrogen or phosphorus. Significant differences were found among varieties in necrosis of first leaf blades induced by a lack of phosphorus. Average necrotic area of first leaf blades of ‘Svaloef Pallas,’ ‘Svaloef Bonus,’ and ‘Svaloef Hellas’ was 70% or more. On the other hand, no more than 1% of the leaf blade areas of ‘Dickson,’ ‘Erie,’ and ‘Vaughn’ was necrotic. With all three nutrient solutions very obvious differences developed in color of lower leaf sheaths. These ranged from green to intense red. A few varieties contained a mixture of red and green plants but most were uniform for this characteristic. ‘Carlsberg II’ seedlings grown without phosphorus developed purple color on about one‐third of the area of second leaf blades. Other varieties had little or no purple color. Varieties differed significantly in length of lower leaf sheaths when grown without nitrogen. Those of Calsberg II averaged three times as long as those of ‘Trebi.’

Cultivar Differences Among Triticale Seedlings Treated with Various Growth Regulators1

“…The lower leaf sheath of the winter cultivar, 6T A385, was white when treated with CCC. Jensen and Nittler (5) showed that the lower leaf sheaths of certain barley seedlings exhibited purple coloration when grown under nutrient deficiencies.…”

“…Nittler (8) showed that oat cultivars also differed in root development at the lower internodes. Jensen and Nittler (5) grew barley in a controlled environment and found that certain barley cultivars could be identified by their reaction to nutrient deficiencies and by the length of the lower leaf sheaths. Dhesi, Desormeaux, and Pauksens (2) reported that wheat cultivars differed in their responses to gibberellic acid (GA) and constructed a taxonomic key for cultivar separations based upon several parameters.…”

Cultivar Differences Among Barley Plants Grown with Different Nutrient Treatments1

“…In addition, cultivar differences in tillering should be useful for identification in some instances. These characteristics should not be used alone for identifying cultivars, but should be used with suitable grain (1, 3, 6) and seedling (2,5) characteristics.…”

“…Seeds of 23 spring barley cultivars listed in our earlier article (5) and also listed in the tables herein were planted in inert white sand in plastic flats 31 X 25 em and 10 em deep. Sand was used to a depth of 9.5 em and seeds were planted 2 em deep.…”