Variations in photosynthesis associated traits and grain yield of minor millets
- PDF / 1,646,600 Bytes
- 8 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 7 Downloads / 173 Views
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Variations in photosynthesis associated traits and grain yield of minor millets K. S. Pavithra1 • A. Senthil1 • V. Babu Rajendra Prasad1 • R. Ravikesavan2 M. Djanaguiraman1
•
Received: 11 December 2019 / Accepted: 5 June 2020 Ó Indian Society for Plant Physiology 2020
Abstract Photosynthesis is one of the important processes, and understanding its variability can be one of the approaches to improve crop productivity. It is presumed that most of the minor millets have C4 type of photosynthetic carbon fixation. However, research on quantifying the variability in photosynthesis associated traits in minor millets is limited. Objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the variation in leaf anatomical, physiological and yield traits among the minor millets and (2) to assess whether photosynthesis associated traits had a relationship with grain yield in minor millet. The result indicated that finger millet, little millet, barnyard millet, proso millet, foxtail millet and kodo millet had C4 leaf anatomy, and among them, finger millet had an increased vascular bundle and bundle sheath cell size. Among the minor millets, at ambient light, temperature and CO2 levels, the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intrinsic water use efficiency, number of major and minor veins, and grain yield were higher in foxtail millet. The CO2 response curve indicates that proso millet had a higher photosynthetic rate at higher concentrations of CO2 than other minor millets. However, the light response curve suggests that foxtail millet had a higher photosynthetic rate at higher light intensity levels. Among the minor millets studied, there was no relationship between mean photosynthesis associated traits over different growth stages with grain yield.
& M. Djanaguiraman [email protected] 1
Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Department of Millets, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Keywords Minor millets Physiological traits Photosynthesis
Introduction Millet, the term includes several different small-grained cereal crops which are considered as a chief food source for the people in arid and semi-arid tropical regions of the world. Millets include major- (maize, sorghum, and pearl millet) and minor-millets (finger millet, barnyard millet, little millet, kodo millet, foxtail millet, and proso millet) (Baker 1996). Minor millets otherwise small millets can survive in harsh environments and can be harvested in 65–120 days. At present, the increase in demand for major food grains is surpassing because of significant yield gaps, which could cause food insecurity. Therefore, other grain crops, namely minor millets, have to be exploited to meet the food demand of the evergrowing population. Also, the minor millets are rich in nutrients; therefore, it can also sustain the food and nutritional security. The productivity of small millets is low compared to major millets and cereals, and it could be associated with the growin
Data Loading...
