Grain yield advantage of genotypes of shortstature over tall genotypes is explained by the reduction of lodging in short plants. This study was conducted with the objective to determine the effects of three different times of artificial lodging over the tall genotype IAC-5 and its almost-isogenic lines IPF 55243, IPF 55244 and IPF 55245 which carry the genes Rht1, Rht2 and Rht1 + Rht2, respectively. Artificial lodging was applied using strings that mainteined the plants lodgeded in the stages of booting, anthesis and grain at milk state. The effects of lodging on grain yield were similar to all genotypes independently of plant height. The major effect of the lodging was observed during anthesis and increased the number of sterile spiqueletes by spike, decreased the number of total spikelets by spike, decreased the number of grain by spike and grain yield. Genotypes with genes for short plant height had superior grain yield than tall genotypes.
agronomic traits; dwarf genes; plant breeding; Triticum aestivum
