Review: Environmental biology and crop improvement

Functional Plant Biology : FPB
John B Passioura

Abstract

The average yield of Australia's major grain crop, wheat, rose at its fastest rate ever during the last decade. The environmental biology behind this advance was predominantly ecological and nutritional - endemic root diseases were controlled through better management of inoculum levels, and the consequently healthier crops were more responsive to fertiliser, especially nitrogen. Applying nitrogen fertilisers became less risky; farmers used much more and thereby achieved much higher yields. Despite Australia's reputation for being drought prone, its crop yields have not hitherto been typically limited by water - poor health and poor nutrition have been more influential. Improvements in the management of health and nutrition have resulted in many crops now being limited by water, so the effectiveness with which that water is used in producing grain has become more important - capturing more of it, using it effectively in producing photosynthate, and ensuring that a large fraction of that photosynthate is converted into grain. Further improvement will come from the steady 1% per year achieved by breeders, overlain by agronomic advances based on deeper ecophysiological understanding of the interaction between roots and soil biota,...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 27, 2020·Annals of Botany·Christopher F Strock, Jonathan P Lynch
Jul 27, 2007·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·J I L MorisonW J Davies
Mar 13, 2008·Physiologia Plantarum·Thomas R SinclairNoel Michele Holbrook
Feb 28, 2009·Journal of Experimental Botany·Llorenç Cabrera-BosquetJosé Luis Araus
Nov 3, 2010·Journal of Experimental Botany·Marco MaccaferriRoberto Tuberosa
Feb 16, 2019·PloS One·Enric FernándezLydia Serrano
Dec 15, 2010·Ambio·Richard StirzakerPaul Cilliers
Jun 8, 2010·Journal of Experimental Botany·Delphine FleuryPeter Langridge
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Jan 31, 2020·Frontiers in Plant Science·Amanda de Oliveira SilvaRomulo P Lollato
Dec 17, 2014·Molecular Breeding : New Strategies in Plant Improvement·Maria Angela CanèRoberto Tuberosa
Dec 10, 2015·Frontiers in Plant Science·Michael RiemannPeter Nick
Nov 1, 2004·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Marta S LopesJosé L Araus
Feb 4, 2016·Journal of Experimental Botany·Oula Ghannoum
Dec 1, 2015·Journal, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology·A G A KhaledA A Said
Jul 25, 2019·Scientific Reports·Jose Miguel Soriano, Fanny Alvaro
Aug 11, 2010·Journal of Experimental Botany·Ariel FerranteGustavo A Slafer
Aug 17, 2010·Journal of Experimental Botany·J A Kirkegaard, J R Hunt

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