Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-p5m67 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-09-03T23:09:43.938Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Physiological assessment of apetalous flowers and erectophile pods in oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. J. Fray ,
E. J. Evans ,
D. J. Lydiate  and
A. E. Arthur
M. J. Fray
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
E. J. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
D. J. Lydiate
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
A. E. Arthur
Affiliation:
Brassica and Oilseeds Department, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UJ, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The transmission of solar radiation within the crop canopies of oilseed rape is decreased both by the plant's yellow petals during flowering, and by the horizontal posture of the pods once they are formed. The significance of each of these morphologies was assessed, in the 1991/92 and 1992/93 growing seasons, by comparing the performances of an apetalous breeding line (N-o-112) and one with erectophile pods (N-5-130) with two conventional commercial genotypes (Falcon and Tapidor).

The apetalous floral layer of line N-o-112 reflected and absorbed significantly less radiation than those of the conventional, petalled genotypes. This resulted in a greater transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to the leaf and bract canopy situated below. At peak flowering, 70% more PAR was transmitted through the apetalous floral layer.

The erectophile pods of line N-5-130 were angled 20–25° further from the horizontal than the conventional genotypes. The extinction coefficient (K) of its pod layer during late pod growth ranged from 0·35 to 0·44 as compared to 0·45 to 0·55 in the commercial varieties. Line N-5-130 carried a greater proportion of its total fertile pod number in the lower regions of the pod canopy compared to the two conventional genotypes. It also had a greater overall mean number of seeds per pod, and the number decreased proportionately less with depth in the canopy. The line was thus better able to maintain a higher photosynthetic area and to sustain pod and seed growth at the lower levels of the crop canopy than the conventional, commercial varieties. The potential physiological effects of apetalous flowers and erectophile pods are considered to be sufficiently beneficial for their introgression into near-isogenic lines to be pursued.

Information

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 127 , Issue 2 , September 1996 , pp. 193 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Austin, R. B., Ford, M. A., Edrich, J. A. & Hooper, B. E. (1976). Some effects of leaf posture on photosynthesis and yield in wheat. Annals of Applied Biology 83, 425–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buzza, G. C. (1983). The inheritance of an apetalous flower character in Canola (Brassica napus L.). Cruciferae Newsletters, 8, 11–12.Google Scholar
Chapman, J. F., Daniels, R. W. & Scarisbrick, D. H. (1984). Field studies on 14C assimilate fixation and movement in oil-seed rape (B. napus). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 102, 23–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniels, R. W., Scarisbrick, D. H. & Smith, L. J. (1986). Oilseed rape physiology. In Oilseed Rape (Eds Scarisbrick, D. H. & Daniels, R. W.), pp. 83–126. London: Collins.Google Scholar
Evans, E. J. (1984). Pre-anthesis growth and its influence on seed yield in winter oilseed rape. Aspects of Applied Biology 6, Agronomy, Physiology, Plant Breeding and Crop Protection of Oilseed Rape, 81–90.Google Scholar
Leach, J. E., Milford, G. F. J., Mullen, L. A., Scott, T. & Stevenson, H. J. (1989). Accumulation of dry matter in oilseed rape crops in relation to the reflection and absorption of solar radiation by different canopy structures. Aspects of Applied Biology 23, Production and Protection of Oilseed Rape and Other Brassica Crops, 117–123.Google Scholar
Mendham, N. J., Shipway, P. A. & Scott, R. K. (1981). The effects of delayed sowing and weather on growth, development and yield of winter oil-seed rape (Brassica napus). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96, 389–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monteith, J. L. (1965). Light distribution and photosynthesis in field crops. Annals of Botany 29, 17–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, M. S. S., Mendham, N. J. & Buzza, G. C. (1991). Effect of the apetalous flower character on radiation distribution in the crop canopy, yield and its components in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 117, 189–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saeki, T. (1960). Interrelationships between leaf amount, light distribution and total photosynthesis in a plant community. Botanical Magazine of Tokyo 73, 55–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sylvester-Bradley, R. & Makepeace, R. J. (1984). A code for stages of development in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Aspects of Applied Biology 6, Agronomy, Physiology, Plant Breeding and Crop Protection of Oilseed Rape, 398–419.Google Scholar
Tayo, T. O. & Morgan, D. G. (1975). Quantitative analysis of the growth, development and distribution of flowers and pods in oil seed rape (Brassica napus L.). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 85, 103–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yates, D. J. & Steven, M. D. (1987). Reflexion and absorption of solar radiation by flowering canopies of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109, 495–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar