Jatinder S Sangha, Brad Meyer, Yuefeng Ruan, Richard D Cuthbert, Ron Knox, Gaozhi Xiao
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Optimum moisture in straw and grain at maturity is important for timely harvesting of wheat. Grain harvested at the right time has reduced chance of being affected by adverse weather conditions which is important to maintain grain quality and end use functionality. Wheat varieties with a short dry down period could help in timely harvest of the crop. However, measuring single kernel moisture in wheat and other small grain crops is a phenotyping bottleneck which requires characterising moisture content of the developing kernel at physiological maturity.
Results: Here we report developing a pin-based probe to detect moisture in a developing wheat kernel required for determining physiological maturity. An in-house designed pin-based probe was used with different commercially available electronic moisture meters to assess the moisture content of the individual kernels in spikes with high accuracy (R2 = 0.73 to 0.94, P < 0.001) compared with a reference method of oven drying. The average moisture values varied among different electronic moisture meters and the oven-dry method and differences in values were minimized at low kernel moisture content (< 50%). The single kernel moisture probe was evaluated in the field to predict the physiological maturity in wheat using 38% moisture content as the reference and visible notes on kernel stage.
Conclusion: The pin-based moisture probe is a reliable tool for wheat physiologists and breeders to conveniently and accurately measure moisture content in developing grain that will aid in identifying wheat germplasm with fast dry-down characteristics.
期刊介绍:
Plant Methods is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal for the plant research community that encompasses all aspects of technological innovation in the plant sciences.
There is no doubt that we have entered an exciting new era in plant biology. The completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence, and the rapid progress being made in other plant genomics projects are providing unparalleled opportunities for progress in all areas of plant science. Nevertheless, enormous challenges lie ahead if we are to understand the function of every gene in the genome, and how the individual parts work together to make the whole organism. Achieving these goals will require an unprecedented collaborative effort, combining high-throughput, system-wide technologies with more focused approaches that integrate traditional disciplines such as cell biology, biochemistry and molecular genetics.
Technological innovation is probably the most important catalyst for progress in any scientific discipline. Plant Methods’ goal is to stimulate the development and adoption of new and improved techniques and research tools and, where appropriate, to promote consistency of methodologies for better integration of data from different laboratories.