High-Throughput Phenotyping of Cross-Sectional Morphology to Assess Stalk Mechanical Properties in Sorghum
Hongzeng Fan,
Jibin Wang,
Songhao Shen,
Mingchong Yang,
Suli Li,
Bihong Feng,
Ruimin Zhong,
Chongjian Ma,
Jihong Wang,
Ruohan Xie,
Lingqiang Wang
Affiliations
Hongzeng Fan
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Jibin Wang
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Songhao Shen
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Mingchong Yang
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Suli Li
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Bihong Feng
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Ruimin Zhong
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Henry Fok School of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
Chongjian Ma
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Henry Fok School of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
Jihong Wang
Department of Life Science, Tangshan Normal University, Tangshan 063000, China
Ruohan Xie
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Lingqiang Wang
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Lodging is one of the major constraints in attaining high yield in crop production. Major factors associated with stalk lodging involve morphological traits and anatomical features along with the chemical composition of the stem. However, little relevant research has been carried out in sorghum, particularly on the anatomical aspects. In this study, with a high-throughput procedure newly developed by our research group, the nine parameters related to stem regions and vascular bundles were generated in 58 sorghum germplasm accessions grown in two successive seasons. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were conducted to investigate the relationship between anatomical aspects and stalk mechanical traits (breaking force, stalk strength and lodging index). It was found that most vascular parameters were positively associated with breaking force and lodging index with the correlation coefficient r varying from −0.46 to 0.64, whereas stalk strength was only associated with rind area with the r = 0.38. The germplasm resources can be divided into two contrasting categories (classes I with 23 accessions and II with 30 accessions). Compared to class II, the class I was characterized by a larger number (+40.7%) and bigger vascular bundle (+30%), thicker stem (+19.6%) and thicker rind (+36.0%) but shorter internode (plant) (−91.0%). This study provides the methodology and information for the studies of the stem anatomical parameters in crops and facilitates the selective breeding of sorghum.
