Fruiting efficiency: an alternative trait to further rise wheat yield

Further improvements in wheat yields are critical, for which increases in grain  number would be required. In the recent past, higher grain number was achieved  through increased growth of the juvenile spikes before anthesis, due to the   reduction in stem growth. As current cultivars have already an optimum height,  alternatives must be identifi ed for further increasing grain number. One of them  is increasing fruiting effi ciency (grains set per unit of spike dry weight at anthesis).  Fruiting effi ciency is the fi nal outcome of the fate of fl oret development  and differences in this trait within modern cultivars would be related to higher  survival of fl oret primordia. Then there are two alternative physiological pathways  to improve fruiting effi ciency by allowing a normal development of most  vulnerable fl oret primordia: an increased allocation of assimilates for the developing  fl orets before anthesis, or reduced demand of the fl orets for maintaining  their normal development. Both alternatives may be possible, and it might be  critical to recognize which of them is the actual cause of differences in fruiting  effi ciency. When considering this trait in breeding we must be aware of potential  trade- offs and therefore it must be avoided that increases in fruiting effi ciency  be constitutively related to decreases in either spike dry weight at anthesis or  grain weight. In this review we described fruiting effi ciency and its physiological  bases, analyzing genetic variation and considering potential drawbacks that must  be taken into account to avoid increases in fruiting effi ciency being compensated  by other traitsFil: Gustavo A. Slafer. AGROTECNIO; España. Universidad de Lleida. Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Ciencia Forestal; España. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats; EspañaFil: Elia, Mónica. Universidad de Lleida. Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Ciencia Forestal; España. AGROTECNIO; EspañaFil: Savin, Roxana. Universidad de Lleida. Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Ciencia Forestal; España. AGROTECNIO; EspañaFil: García, Guillermo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Terrile, Ignacio Ismael. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino; ArgentinaFil: Ferrante, Ariel. The University of Queensland. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation; AustraliaFil: Miralles, Daniel Julio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: González, Fernanda Gabriela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin