A comparison of the pattern of grain set in 'Aotea' and 'Karamu' wheat

Abstract

The pattern of grain set and grain size distribution within mainstem ears of a standard New Zealand cultivar 'Aotea' was compared with that in a Norin 10 derivative 'Karamu' when both were spring sown. Karamu produced more spikelets and heavier grains than Aotea. The higher number of grains per spikelet produced by Karamu was due to superior grain set in florets 3 and 4 of the central spikelets. Florets 1 and 2 of Karamu spikelets had slightly lower fertility than those of Aotea, which was attributed to retarded development of the basal florets during pre-anthesis floret development.