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Cited by 710Genetics and Plant BreedingCrop Yield and Soil FertilityWheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 89 of the 91 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Harvest index: a review of its use in plant breeding and crop physiology.

HAY, R K M·1995·Annals of Applied Biology
DOI 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1995.tb05015.x
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Abstract

Summary: This review charts the use of the concept of harvest index in crop improvement and physiology, concentrating on the literature from the last 20 years. Evidence from abstract journals indicates that the term has been applied most to small grain cereal crops and pulses, in India, Western Europe and the USA, and that it has been less useful for maize and tuber crops. Standard methods of measuring harvest index, the associated problems of measurement and interpretation, and representative values for a range of world species are reviewed. The values for modern varieties of most intensively‐cultivated grain crops fall within the range 0.4 to 0.6. Variation between varieties of the same species is illustrated by trends in the harvest indices of old, outclassed and recent varieties of temperate and mediterranean wheat and barley (compared under uniform conditions); this shows a progressive increase throughout the present century, although improvement has been much slower in Australia and Canada than in the UK. In most cases, the improvement in harvest index has been a consequence of increased grain population density coupled with stable individual grain weight. The high heritability of harvest index is explored by examining its (rather weak) response to variation in environmental factors (fertilisation, population density, application of growth regulators) in the absence of severe stress. A fuller perspective is gained by reviewing aspects of the harvest index of rice, maize and tropical pulses. With rice, attention must be paid to the fact that the adhering lemma and palea (not primarily part of economic yield) can make up 20% of grain weight; and there are important interactions among biomass, grain yield and season length. Maize differs from most small grain crops in that harvest index (in N. American varieties) was already high at the start of this century, and increases in yield potential have been largely the consequence of increased biomass production. The harvest index of many pulse species and varieties tends to be low because selection has been for some yield in all seasons. Extension of the harvest index concept to express the partitioning of mineral nutrients as well as dry matter (e.g. the nitrogen harvest index) has provided a range of responses whose implications for production and breeding remain to be explored. It is concluded that even though the principal cereal crops appear to be approaching the upper limit of harvest index, and future yield gains will have to be sought by increased biomass production, there will still be a need for the concept of harvest index as a tool in interpreting crop response to different environments and climatic change.

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Citations

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Research works printed but not linked: 30

  1. Akita S., 1989, Progress in Irrigated Rice Research, 41
  2. Anon.1978.Harvest index: criterion for selecting for high yield ability.Annual Report of the International Rice Research Institute for 1977 pp.21–25.
  3. Banerji B, 1984, Accumulation and partitioning of dry matter in deepwater rice, Indian Journal of Plant Physiology, 21, 201
  4. Beaven E S., 1920, Breeding cereals for increased production, Journal of the Farmers' Club, London, 6, 107
  5. Biscoe P V., 1984, The Nitrogen Requirements of Cereals, 53
  6. Donald C M., 1962, In search of yield, Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, 28, 171
  7. GaleM D.1979.The effects of Norin 10 dwarfing genes on yield.Proceedings of the Fifth International Wheat Genetics Symposium Delhi 1978 pp.978–987.
  8. Gallagher J N, 1978, A physiological analysis of cereal yield. 2. Partitioning of dry matter, Agricultural Progress, 53, 51
  9. Holliday R, 1969, Variety potential in cereals and its importance, Agricultural Progress, 44, 56
  10. Jackson J E., 1985, Attributes of Trees as Crop Plants, 441
  11. Jain H K, 1976, Dwarfing genes and breeding for yield in bread wheat, Zeitschrift für Pflanzenzuchtung, 76, 102
  12. Jain H K, 1976, The present basis and future possibilities of breeding for yield in maize, Zeitschrift für Pflanzenzuchtung, 76, 90
  13. Khanna‐Chopra R, 1987, The Chickpea, 163
  14. Lal S., 1976, Relationship between grain and biological yields in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), Tropical Grain Legume Bulletin, 6, 29
  15. Ludlow M M, 1993, International Crop Science 1, 247
  16. Muehlbauer F J, 1987, The Chickpea, 99
  17. Murty K S, 1977, Variability in the harvest index of late duration high yielding rice cultivars, Indian Journal of Plant Physiology, 20, 115
  18. Palit P, 1976, Growth and yield parameters of two dwarf and two tall varieties of rice under different fertilizer combinations, Indian Journal of Agricultural Science, 46, 292
  19. Prasad M., 1981, Biological yield and harvest index of rice, Oryza, 18, 31
  20. Raju D B, 1978, Genetic variability and correlations in chickpea, Tropical Grain Legume Bulletin, 13, 35
  21. Reddy G V, 1986, Effect of time of planting on yield of four Nellore rice varieties during wet season, Oryza, 23, 190
  22. RooneyJ M LeighR A.1993.Dry matter and nitrogen partitioning to the grain of winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) cultivars grown on Broadbalk since 1943.Aspects of Applied Biology34 Physiology of Varieties pp.219–227.
  23. Russell W A., 1993, International Crop Science I, 225
  24. Sahu G, 1978, Influence of season on growth and productive efficiency of high yielding rice cultivars, Indian Journal of Plant Physiology, 21, 201
  25. Scott R K, 1994, Home‐Grown Cereals Authority, 1994 Conference on cereals R&D, 3
  26. Singh K B., 1987, The Chickpea, 127
  27. Sinha S K., 1993, International Crop Science 1, 281
  28. Swaminathan M S., 1993, International Crop Science 1, 385
  29. Venkateswarlu B, 1982, Nature of association among biomass, harvest index and economic yield in rice, Indian Journal of Plant Physiology, 25, 149
  30. Wilson D, 1981, Varietal improvement by selection for reduced dark respiration rate in perennial ryegrasses. In Plant Physiology and Herbage Production, Occasional Publications of the British Grassland Society, 13, 209

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Metadata

Authors
HAY, R. K. M.
Affiliations
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (GB)
Corresponding author
HAY, R K M
Venue
Annals of Applied Biology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1995-02
Volume
126
Issue
1
Pages
197-216
ISSN
  • 0003-4746 (ISSN-L)
  • 1744-7348
DOI
10.1111/j.1744-7348.1995.tb05015.x
OpenAlex
W2118692586
Cited by
686
References
91
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 22
FWCI
3.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 4773 d)
Locations
Annals of Applied Biology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Genetics and Plant Breeding
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Crop Yield and Soil Fertility
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology
Keywords
harvest index, grain yield, crop physiology, plant breeding, wheat, barley, rice, maize, pulses, heritability, biomass production, nitrogen harvest index, biomass allocation, yield potential, climate change

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