Seedling vigour in wheat - sources of variation for genetic and agronomic improvement

Abstract

The early growth of wheat is slow compared with that of barley and triticale. This is expected to limit the yield of wheat in environments where greater seedling vigour is advantageous. To overcome the slow growth of wheat, genetic sources of seedling vigour are required for use in breeding programs, and/or ways to increase seedling growth by manipulating seed characteristics. This study reports (i) new sources of and 3 heights at cutting (cutting was done when the grass reached 0.5, 1, and 1.5 m above the ground). The N fertiliser treatment did not yield any significant difference in DMD, ND, or IVDMD. Height at cutting had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on rumen DMD and ND and their degradability characteristics for all incubation times. There was a reduction in DMD and ND and their degradability characteristics as plant height increased at cutting. Similarly, as height at cutting increased there was a decline in IVDMD. There was a positive linear correlation between IVDMD and both DMD and ND at 48, 72, 96, and 120 h (r = 0.917, 0.923, 0.921, and 0.850 for DMD; r = 0.795, 0.814, 0.787, and 0.787 for ND). Hence, further study on intake and performance of animals is suggested to develop Napier-based diets for smallholders.