A field trial was conducted to examine the differences of grain yield and agronomic characters of six millet (Setaria italica) varieties in Yulin, Shaanxi during 2018-2019 growing seasons. Those varieties were planted in northern Shaanxi in different decades (1960s-1970s, 1980s-1990s, 2000s-2010s). The results showed that the grain yield of millet varieties exhibited an increasing trend across all the decades. The average yield of varieties bred from 2000s to 2010s were 0.46 (2018) and 0.66 kg·m-2 (2019), respectively. The yield increased significantly by 22%-53% compared with the bred before 2000s. Changes of plant height, panicle weight, leaf weight and stem weight were similar to that of yield, while one-thousand kernel weight and spike length were relatively stable which did not change significantly across the decades. The flag leaf width increased significantly with the variety replacements. There was a significant correlation between panicle weight, stem weight, leaf weight, plant height and grain yield, respectively. Results of principal component analysis showed that millet varieties bred from 2000s to 2010s had greater advantages. In the process of millet cultivars replacement in northern Shaanxi, yield per unit area was mainly increased through the improvement of plant height and spike weight. In the future, we should focus on the improvement of plant height, spike weight, stem weight, and leaf weight, especially the exploration of the optimal plant height suitable for mechanical harvesting.
选择不同年代(1960s—1970s、1980s—1990s、2000s—2010s)在陕北种植的6个谷子品种为试验材料,于2018—2019年在陕西榆林进行田间试验,研究分析了不同年代品种谷子产量及其农艺性状的演变特征。结果表明: 随年代更替,谷子品种产量呈现明显增加趋势,2000s—2010s选育的品种平均产量分别为0.46(2018)和0.66 kg·m-2(2019),较2000s前的品种显著增产,增产幅度22%～53%;株高、穗重、叶重和杆重与产量趋势类似;而千粒重和穗长表现相对稳定,随品种更替并未呈现明显变化;旗叶宽度虽然变幅不大,但随品种更替呈明显增大趋势。相关性分析表明,穗重、杆重、叶重和株高与产量之间呈极显著相关。主成分分析显示,2000s—2010s谷子品种具有更大的优势。陕北谷子品种更替过程中主要通过株高和穗重的改良来增加单位面积产量,未来谷子高产育种应注重株高、穗重、杆重和叶重性状改良,尤其应探索适合机械收割的最优株高。.
Keywords: agronomic trait; cultivar replacement; foxtail millet; grain yield.