Institute of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan.
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
BMC Plant Biol. 2023 Feb 27;23(1):115. doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04123-z.
Climate change and depleting water sources demand scarce natural water supplies like air moisture to be used as an irrigation water source. Wheat production is threatened by the climate variability and extremes climate events especially heat waves and drought. The present study focused to develop the wheat plant for self-irrigation through optimizing leaf architecture and surface properties for precise irrigation.
Thirty-four genotypes were selected from 1796 genotypes with all combinations of leaf angle and leaf rolling. These genotypes were characterized for morpho-physiological traits and soil moisture content at stem-elongation and booting stages. Further, a core set of ten genotypes was evaluated for stem flow efficiency and leaf wettability.
Biplot, heat map, and correlation analysis indicated wide diversity and traits association. The environmental parameters indicated substantial amount of air moisture (> 60% relative humidity) at the critical wheat growth stages. Leaf angle showed negative association with leaf rolling, physiological and yield traits, adaxial and abaxial contact angle while leaf angle showed positive association with the stem flow water. The wettability and air moisture harvesting indicated that the genotypes (coded as 1, 7, and 18) having semi-erect to erect leaf angle, spiral rolling, and hydrophilic leaf surface (<90) with contact angle hysteresis less than 10 had higher soil moisture content (6-8%) and moisture harvesting efficiency (3.5 ml).
These findings can provide the basis to develop self-irrigating, drought-tolerant wheat cultivars as an adaptation to climate change.
气候变化和水资源枯竭要求利用稀缺的自然水资源，如空气湿度作为灌溉水源。小麦生产受到气候变异性和极端气候事件的威胁，尤其是热浪和干旱。本研究旨在通过优化叶片结构和表面特性来实现小麦的自我灌溉，从而开发出耐旱的小麦品种。
从 1796 个基因型中选择了 34 个基因型，这些基因型具有叶片角度和叶片卷曲的所有组合。对这些基因型进行了形态生理特性和茎伸长及抽穗期土壤水分含量的特征描述。此外，还对 10 个核心基因型进行了茎流效率和叶片润湿性的评价。
双标图、热图和相关分析表明存在广泛的多样性和性状关联。环境参数表明，在关键的小麦生长阶段，空气中的水分含量（相对湿度>60%）相当大。叶片角度与叶片卷曲、生理和产量性状、叶面和叶背接触角呈负相关，而叶片角度与茎流水分呈正相关。润湿性和空气湿度收集表明，具有半直立到直立叶片角度、螺旋卷曲和亲水叶片表面（<90°）、接触角滞后小于 10°的基因型（编码为 1、7 和 18）具有更高的土壤水分含量（6-8%）和水分收集效率（3.5ml）。
这些发现可以为开发自我灌溉、耐旱的小麦品种提供基础，以适应气候变化。
