Breeding in winter wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) can be further progressed by targeting previously neglected competitive traits.

ABSTRACT: Breeders work to adapt winter wheat genotypes for high planting densities to pursue sustainable intensification and maximize canopy productivity. Although the effects of plant-plant competition at high planting density have been extensively reported, the quantitative relationship between competitiveness and plant performance remains unclear. In this study, we introduced a shoot competitiveness index (SCI) to quantify the competitiveness of genotypes and examined the dynamics of nine competitiveness-related traits in 200 winter wheat genotypes grown in heterogeneous canopies at two planting densities. Higher planting densities increased shoot length but reduced biomass, tiller numbers, and leaf mass per area (LMA), with trait plasticity showing at least 41% variation between genotypes. Surp

SUBMITTER: Manntschke A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11961425 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature