Abstract
Abstract Water deficit is generally thought to negatively impact crop yields, including grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L.), but a small body of literature reports changes in crop physiology and growth in plants with short‐term imposition of water deficit during vegetative development that could lead to increased yield. In a replicated and repeated pot experiment in which water deficit was imposed for 10‐day periods in grain sorghum plants that were otherwise well‐watered, we tested the hypothesis that relatively severe, short‐term water deficit imposed during early vegetative development could enhance grain sorghum yield. The results showed that severe water deficit (~30% of control ET ) imposed during two vegetative periods enhanced grain yield compared to continuously well‐watered plants by 21% ( p = .0356). Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot‐to‐root ratio. Yield enhancement was associated with a substantial shift in resource partitioning, as water deficit reduced root mass ( p = .0032), stem/leaf mass ( p < .0001) and total biomass ( p = .0005), resulting in a 60% increase in harvest index. Imposition of water stress during vegetative growth in sorghum can increase grain yield.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Severe vegetative water deficit increased sorghum grain yield by 21% relative to continuously well-watered plants.
- Taxon
- grain sorghum
Sorghum bicolort0 - Treatment
- severe water deficit (~30% of control ET )e0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 21%e0
- Comparator
- continuously well‐watered plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“severe water deficit (~30% of control ET ) imposed during two vegetative periods enhanced grain yield compared to continuously well‐watered plants by 21% ( p = .0356)”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield correlated with average grain weight.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Organ / stage
- grain weighte0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot‐to‐root ratio”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield correlated with grain number per head.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Organ / stage
- grain number per heade0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot‐to‐root ratio”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield correlated with shoot-to-root ratio.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Organ / stage
- shoot‐to‐root ratioe0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot‐to‐root ratio”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit reduced root mass.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- water deficite0
- Outcome
- root masse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“water deficit reduced root mass ( p = .0032)”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit reduced stem and leaf mass.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- water deficite0
- Outcome
- stem/leaf masse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“water deficit reduced root mass ( p = .0032), stem/leaf mass ( p < .0001)”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit reduced total biomass.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- water deficite0
- Outcome
- total biomasse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“water deficit reduced root mass ( p = .0032), stem/leaf mass ( p < .0001) and total biomass ( p = .0005)”
t0“grain sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit increased harvest index by 60%.
- Taxon
- grain sorghumSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- water deficite1
- Outcome
- harvest indexe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 60%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“resulting in a 60% increase in harvest index”
e1“water deficit reduced root mass”
t0“grain sorghum”
The same questions in other papers
drought · yield · Sorghum bicolor (sorghum)Results differ
8 papers in the same direction as this paper · 21 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- negative
26 papers more in this group
See all 30 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.