Plot plant height dynamics and lodging
Maximal plot plant height of the white commercial cultivar and two of the brown lines: 53-1-B and 53-2-B, was lower compared to the other white lines (Table 8). The dynamics of plant height, which was documented in detail from 53 DAS to 87 DAS (Fig. 2 and 7, Table 8), revealed distinct patterns among the studied lines.
The white commercial cultivar was the first to enter the reproductive stage at 53 DAS. The white commercial cultivar started exhibiting lodging three days after panicle emergence. However, this lodging was later revealed to be essentially different from the lodging observed in other lines. The main differences were that while the white commercial cultivar was relatively uniform in its lodging across the plot (Fig. S8a), as well as relatively static/stable in terms of plot’s height throughout the grain filling period (at around 35cm above ground); the other lines did not lodged so soon after panicle emergence and their lodging was not uniform across the plot. For example line 44A-163-B started lodging between 70-77 DAS (Fig. 2, Fig. S8b), and plot’s height reaches around 50cm above ground. Other lines, such as 44-B-163-W exhibited strong lodging between 70 and 77 going from plot height of 77 cm to 27cm in seven days (Fig. S8c). This line was among the tallest lines and its heavy panicles filling seemed to bend the entire plant downwards. Some of the lines, such as 53-2-2-W, exhibited a relatively prolonged period of erect posture during grain filling, before lodging ( Fig. S8d) which was not severe.