Reproductive allometry of an emerging perennial grain grass
Abstract
Better understanding grain yield limitations in perennial grain crops is a central issue for improving their performances. In this context, reproductive allometry - the relationship between biomass and seed production - can be highly informative. For perennial species, it is necessary to assess reproductive allometry throughout the plant's lifespan by considering cumulative growth and reproduction. Drawing on a worldwide dataset, we present the first analysis of reproductive allometry for intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), the most extensively studied temperate perennial grain crop candidate. We found a significant overall allometric relationship between cumulative grain yield and cumulative biomass with a scaling exponent of 0.69 (R² = 0.67). We then characterized the observed range of reproductive effort (harvest index) and estimated its upper boundary conditions. Together, these allow us to use this allometric framework as a diagnostic tool distinguishing yield variation driven by resource acquisition (biomass production) from that driven by allocation to reproduction. We propose that breeding and management strategies to improve grain yield in intermediate wheatgrass should therefore focus on increasing and stabilizing 2 reproductive effort across a range of stand biomass, developing system design and architectural ideotypes that delay competition within the crop population or reduce plastic responses to competition. Our findings are based on observational field data spanning a large range of environmental conditions; extrapolation beyond this range should be done with caution. Finally, beyond the specific findings presented here, this work moves past speciesspecific and annual perspectives by establishing a generalizable framework for perennial grain research and pluriannual assessment of cropping systems.
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BibTeX
@article{duchene2026reproductive,
title = {{Reproductive allometry of an emerging perennial grain grass}},
author = {Olivier Duchene and Jacob Weiner and Christelle Ginot and Pierre Aubry and Laura Fagnant and Christophe David and Florian Celette and Jacob Jungers and Priscila Pinto and Valentin Picasso and Douglas Cattani and Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini and Andrea Basche and Benjamin Dumont},
journal = {Field Crops Research},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110788},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05847682v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reproductive allometry of an emerging perennial grain grass
AU - Olivier Duchene
AU - Jacob Weiner
AU - Christelle Ginot
AU - Pierre Aubry
AU - Laura Fagnant
AU - Christophe David
AU - Florian Celette
AU - Jacob Jungers
AU - Priscila Pinto
AU - Valentin Picasso
AU - Douglas Cattani
AU - Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini
AU - Andrea Basche
AU - Benjamin Dumont
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Field Crops Research
DO - 10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110788
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05847682v1
AB - Better understanding grain yield limitations in perennial grain crops is a central issue for improving their performances. In this context, reproductive allometry - the relationship between biomass and seed production - can be highly informative. For perennial species, it is necessary to assess reproductive allometry throughout the plant's lifespan by considering cumulative growth and reproduction. Drawing on a worldwide dataset, we present the first analysis of reproductive allometry for intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), the most extensively studied temperate perennial grain crop candidate. We found a significant overall allometric relationship between cumulative grain yield and cumulative biomass with a scaling exponent of 0.69 (R² = 0.67). We then characterized the observed range of reproductive effort (harvest index) and estimated its upper boundary conditions. Together, these allow us to use this allometric framework as a diagnostic tool distinguishing yield variation driven by resource acquisition (biomass production) from that driven by allocation to reproduction. We propose that breeding and management strategies to improve grain yield in intermediate wheatgrass should therefore focus on increasing and stabilizing 2 reproductive effort across a range of stand biomass, developing system design and architectural ideotypes that delay competition within the crop population or reduce plastic responses to competition. Our findings are based on observational field data spanning a large range of environmental conditions; extrapolation beyond this range should be done with caution. Finally, beyond the specific findings presented here, this work moves past speciesspecific and annual perspectives by establishing a generalizable framework for perennial grain research and pluriannual assessment of cropping systems.
SN - 0378-4290
ER -