Source-sink effects on grain weight of bread wheat, durum wheat, and triticale at different locations

Source limitation during grain filling is important for both management and breeding strategies of grain crops. There is little information on the sensitivity of grain weight of temperate cereals to variations in source - sink ratios, and no studies are available on the comparative behaviour of temperate cereals growing together in the same experiment. The objective of the current study was to evaluate, under field conditions, the response of grain weight to different source - sink ratios during grain filling in high-yielding cultivars of bread wheat, durum wheat, and triticale at 2 contrasting locations. Two experiments were carried out at C. Obregon and El Batan in Mexico. In each location, 6 genotypes ( 2 bread wheat, 2 durum wheat, 2 triticale) were evaluated. A week after anthesis, 2 source - sink ( control and halved spikes) treatments were imposed. Location and genotype significantly ( P< 0.01) affected grain yield and components. Significant grain weight increases ( P< 0.05) were found only in 2 cases in El Batan. The highest response of 17% was found in triticale, with less than 10% in most of the other genotypes. The effect of genotype and location is discussed.