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Evaluation of root system architecture and osmotic adaptation in barley
Klem, Karel ; Findurová, Hana ; Urban, Otmar ; Holub, Petr
Drought tolerance based on improving root system architecture, in particular by increasing rooting depth, increasing root density at deeper layers, or osmotic adjustment, is one of the most effective ways of adapting to drought, especially in conditions where sufficient water remains in the deeper soil layers during the dry season. Moreover, osmotic adjustment is a trait that allows plants to take up water even when water availability is limited, including the deeper soil layers. On the other hand, however, these are traits that are very difficult to evaluate, given their hidden nature or the need to laboriously excavate roots growing in the soil. This is also the reason why, despite their considerable importance, these features have long been overlooked. Breeding for these traits is done only indirectly by evaluating yield response to drought or indirect physiological or morphological parameters. \nIn this methodology, three methods for evaluating root system architecture or osmotic adjustment are presented which allow selection for specific root system architecture traits or osmotic adjustment, to be carried out on a large number of genotypes, using a relatively simple method based on the cultivation of roots on black filter paper, either hydroponically or aeroponically. This method allows a detailed analysis of root system architecture parameters that are important for drought tolerance and also a relatively easy test of osmotic adjustment by inducing osmotic stress with polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution. Both methods have been successfully validated, in the first case in a model experiment with nutrient deficiency, in which the effect on root system architecture is confounded, and in the second case in a set of barley genetic resources and varieties in which previously obtained information on drought tolerance of some genotypes was confirmed. \nAnother of the methods presented is the cultivation of roots in rhizoboxes filled with sand with a grid of spikes that hold the roots in the position in which they grew when washed. This method again allows the root system architecture to be assessed, but in this case under conditions that more closely match real soil conditions. The method was validated in three barley genotypes with contrasting root system vigor. The method used not only demonstrated the expected differences in rooting depth and root density distribution but also showed a relationship to the physiological response to reduced water availability in terms of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate. \nTherefore, all the methods presented here are suitable tools to help breeders in the selection of drought-tolerant barley genotypes.
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Phenotyping spring barley for drought tolerance
Klem, Karel ; Findurová, Hana ; Panzarová, K. ; Pytela, J. ; Trtílek, M. ; Holub, Petr
Drought tolerance is a complex of traits that vary depending on the type, severity, and timing of drought. Therefore, a relatively comprehensive assessment of the morphological and physiological phenotypic response to drought is necessary. This methodology focuses on the development of procedures and evaluation of the complex phenotypic response of spring barley genotypes to drought using non-invasively measured parameters based on red-green-blue (RGB) imaging, thermal infrared imaging, and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging measured within an automated phenotyping platform. The development of the methodology was based on an experiment in which the dynamic changes in the response of six barley genotypes, representing a wide range of drought tolerance (from a very sensitive to a very tolerant genotype), to continuous drying until the point of wilting and subsequent re-watering were monitored. Three critical time points during drought and re-watering were identified, key for detecting drought tolerance: i) reaching 50% of available soil water, ii) reaching wilting point, iii) full plant recovery after re-watering. However, the different imaging-based parameters monitored showed potential for assessing drought sensitivity at different time points from the onset of drying or recovery. The correlation with relative yield response increased progressively for the side projected leaf area (SPA) and reached a maximum at the point of complete recovery after re-watering. The actual quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) showed the highest correlation with relative grain yield around the wilting point. In contrast, the relative difference of leaf temperature to ambient air temperature (Tdiff) showed a high correlation with yield response to drought earlier, as early as at the point of reaching 50% of the level of soil water available to plants. The highest correlations with relative yield response were obtained for RGB colour analysis at the wilting point and after recovery, especially for the relative proportion of khaki, beige, dark green, and olive-green hues. Multiple regression with parameters providing a Pearson correlation coefficient R > 0.5 slightly improved the estimation of the relative yield response to drought, but mainly provided a significant improvement in the estimation of absolute grain yield under drought stress, with an estimation accuracy of around 90% in both cases. This methodology shows that the use of a combination of phenotyping methods in characterising different morphological and physiological traits not only allows the assessment of drought tolerance (based on relative yield response to drought), which is crucial for the selection of genetic resources for subsequent breeding, but also allows the testing of the yield performance of new genotypes under drought stress.
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Use of the Agrorisk.cz portal – an early warning system against the negative effects of weather on agriculture
Žalud, Zdeněk ; Svobodová, Eva ; Klem, Karel ; Hlavinka, Petr ; Semerádová, Daniela ; Zahradníček, Pavel ; Štěpánek, Petr ; Bláhová, Monika ; Kudláčková, Lucie ; Balek, Jan
The early warning system against negative weather effects offers a daily updated description of abiotic and selected biotic risks threatening field production at the cadastral level. It includes their 9-day forecast. The methodology is primarily intended for agronomists,plant doctors and agricultural managers, as well as scientists, agricultural consultants and representatives of public administration.
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Short-term application of elevated temperature and drought influences the isotopic composition of winter wheat grains
Pernicová, Natálie ; Urban, Otmar ; Čáslavský, Josef ; Klem, Karel ; Trnka, Miroslav
The study aimed to determine the differences in carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios in grains of three winter wheat varieties grown under optimal and stress conditions. We found that the wheat variety has a significant effect on both δ13C and δ15N isotope ratios. Short-term (nine days) exposure to drought and high temperature during the heading or stem extension development phase significantly enhanced δ13C values, but only high temperature affected δ15N values. Enhanced δ15N values support the assumption that global warming causes a higher representation of the 15N isotope in plants. Moreover, significant interactive effects of temperature and water availability on the values of both isotopes were found implying that C and N metabolisms have been altered under the investigated stress conditions. We conclude that δ13C and δ15N isotope ratios of cereal grains are sensitive indicators of stress conditions, even short-term ones
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Estimation of winter wheat yield using machine learning from airborne hyperspectral data
Švik, Marian ; Pikl, Miroslav ; Janoutová, Růžena ; Veselá, Barbora ; Slezák, Lukáš ; Klem, Karel ; Homolová, Lucie
Methods based on optical remote sensing allow nowadays to assess crop conditions over larger areas. The assessment of crop conditions and potential estimation of crop yields in the early growth\nstages can help farmers to better target their management practice such as application of fertilizers. In this study we analysed airborne hyperspectral images acquired several times during the growing season over two experimental sites in the Czech Republic (Ivanovice and Lukavec). The field experiments on winter wheat included 12 levels of fertilisation (combination of organic and mineral fertilisers). Such an experiment design and the possibility of combining the data from two sites together increased the variability in our wheat yield dataset, which varied between 2.8 and 10.0 t/ha. Further, we used a machine learning method – namely gaussian process regression from the ARTMO toolbox to train two variants of models: a) combining the spectral data from both sites and from the multiple acquisition days and b) combining the spectral data from both sites for individual acquisition days.The results showed that it was feasible to predict wheat yield already at the beginning of April with R2 > 0.85. This promising result, however, requires more thorough validation and therefore we plan to include more data from other sites in the next steps.
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Effect of elevated CO2 concentration and nitrogen nutrition on mais response to short-term high temperature and drought stress
Simor, J. ; Klem, Karel
Within an experiment conducted in open top chambers in which two mais genotypes differing in stay-green trait were cultivated under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (EC) in comparison\nwith ambient CO2 concentration (AC), and in two contrast levels of nitrogen nutrition, the effect of acclimation to these factors on photosynthetic performance and water use efficiency, and subsequent response to short-term high temperature and drought stress was studied. Although EC improved water use efficiency, this effect did not alleviate the response to drought stress, and under some combinations of factors even led to a decrease in CO2 assimilation rate under drought stress. Differences in the stay- green trait between genotypes did not have a major effect on the response to high temperature and drought stress. Differences between genotypes were manifested mainly in the interaction with nitrogen nutrition, while in the Korynt genotype, non fertilised variants showed a lower response of CO2 assimilation rate to drought. Slight alleviating effect of higher nitrogen dose was found under EC conditions, while no nitrogen fertilisation rather increased drought resilience under AC conditions.
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Interactive effects of adaptation technology, based on no-till sowing into the mulch of cover crop residues, and nitrogen nutrition on photosynthetic performance of maize under drought stress
Opoku, Emmanuel ; Holub, Petr ; Findurová, Hana ; Veselá, Barbora ; Klem, Karel
The aim of this study was to evaluate the interactive effect of adaptation technology based on no-till sowing into cover crop mulch and nitrogen nutrition on photosynthetic performance of maize under short term drought stress induced by rain-out shelters. The experiment was established in two locations in the same climatic condition but differing in soil fertility. The negative effect of drought on CO2 assimilation rate was modulated by nitrogen nutrition. However, while nitrogen nutrition led to alleviating effect at the location with higher fertility, the opposite effect was found at the site with lower fertility. Adaptation technology had only a minor impact on photosynthetic response to drought, but it generally increased CO2 assimilation rate at the site with higher soil fertility and decreased at the site with lower soil fertility. We can conclude that adaptation technology, despite of assumptions, did not significantly change the resilience of maize to drought, and probably longer use of such technology is required to improve soil water retention and thus also balanced supply of water to plants. \nAt the same time, we did not find a negative impact of adaptation technology on photosynthesis which can be related to cooler soil during maize emergence and slower mineralization, although the use of adaptation technology seems to be more effective in soils with higher fertility.
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Variation of glomalin content in the Czech soils and the relationships to the chemical soil characteristics and climatic regions
Polách, Vojtěch ; Patra, Sneha ; Klem, Karel
Glomalin is being investigated as a substance that improves soil quality, the resistance of soil aggregates and play a role in carbon sequestration. This study is the first nationwide survey of the glomalin content in the soil. Soil samples were collected from 181 locations in the Czech Republic to describe the variability of glomalin content in the soils of the Czech Republic and its dependence on soil chemical properties and climatic area. Sodium citrate buffer was used to extract easily extractable glomalin (EEG), and the glomalin concentration was determined spectrophotometrically. The soil glomalin content correlates most with the ratio of humic and fulvic acids. Moreover, the interrelation between glomalin content and climatic regions was also observed. The content of glomalin decreases from the warmest regions to the coldest. We also compared the glomalin content among different soil types groups and found out that the lowest glomalin content was found in Entic Podzols and Gleysols. On the contrary, the highest glomalin content was found in Vertisols, Phaeozems and Luvisols.
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Atmospheric CO2 concentration, light intensity and nitrogen nutrition affect spring barley response to drought and heat stress
Findurová, Hana ; Veselá, Barbora ; Opoku, Emmanuel ; Klem, Karel
The aim of this study was to compare physiological responses of two spring barley varieties,\ndiffering in their oxidative stress tolerance, to drought and heat stress after pre-treatment under different\nirradiation regimes, CO2 concentrations, and nitrogen fertilisation levels. High light intensity, elevated\nCO2, and additional UV radiation increased flavonoid accumulation. Moreover, more flavonoids were\ninduced in oxidative stress-sensitive variety Barke. Combined drought and heat stress caused a large\ndecline in CO2 assimilation, whereas heat stress alone caused only minor changes. Under combined\nstress, plants grown under low light intensity and no UV irradiation performed the best despite their\nhigher initial water use efficiency and lower flavonoids content.
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