Same with less: a method to reduce destructive sampling to estimate nitrogen use efficiency components using allometric relationships in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Abstract

Enhancing nitrogen (N) use efficiency is important for a sustainable food production. Measuring shoot biomass and N pool across growth stages is critical to calculate N use efficiency, but relies on slow, costly and destructive sampling. This paper presents a non-destructive allometric approach developed for cereals; in this study, we assessed wheat (Triticum aestivum) for crop shoot biomass and N pool. Our methodology considered tiller height and number, and the estimates of leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) as non-destructive measures to predict shoot biomass and N pool by using a multiple linear and a non-linear regression (R2 = 0.71 and R2 = 0.89, respectively) on the data from 72 samples of 16 recombinant inbred spring wheat lines (RILs) field-grown in central Sweden during 2 years with contrasting weather. Model parameters are estimated separately for different years to accommodate environmental variations between them. The regressions obtained were applied to estimate critical N use efficiency traits of 80 randomly selectedwheat linesfrom the same RIL population. The method developed here provides a promising novel tool for the cost-effective estimation of critical N use efficiency parameters in cereals, with reduced destructive sampling, and a first step toward automated phenotyping for rapid N use efficiency assessment in cereal breeding populations.

Keywords

allometry; crop modelling; grain nitrogen concentration; nitrogen accumulation efficiency; plant height; shoot biomass; SPAD; wheat

Published in

Functional Plant Biology
2025, volume: 52, number: 5, article number: FP24201

SLU Authors

• Guardia, Lorena

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Cope, Jonathan

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Westerbergh, Anna

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Weih, Martin

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Botany

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/FP24201

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/141694