GROWTH AND YIELD OF BARLEY IN FLOODED SOIL: ETHYLENE GENERATION AND Eh RELATIONSHIPS

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Abstract
Barley growing on a Gleysolic soil was subjected to short-term periods of flooding (2–10 days) at four stages of development. The treatments resulted in a reduction in dry matter accumulation proportional to the duration of flooding. Furthermore, plants 14 and 21 days old at flooding were most affected immediately following inundation whereas, at maturity, plants flooded at 28 and 35 days old were the most affected in that head emergence was delayed and grain yield was reduced by as much as 55%. Flooding increased the soil-produced ethylene from 0.15 to 3.78 ppm after 10 days. Ethylene production was related to a lowering of the soil Eh below 340 mV. It is suggested that the poor growth of barley, while in part due to an O2 deficiency, may also be a result of ethylene formation during flooding.