Radiation effects on potential number of grains per spike and biomass partitioning in two- and six-rowed near isogenic barley lines

The critical period for yield determination in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is situated in the pre-heading phases. During the latest part of the critical period one of the most important yield components (i.e. the number of grains per spike) is set in two- and six-rowed barley. In wheat, much is known about the role of the spike in assimilate acquisition for the establishment of grains per spike, but not in barley. This paper evaluates how...