Leaf appearance rate and associated characters in some Mexican and Australian wheats

Three Mexican cultivars of high yield potential were compared in four field sowings with three Australian varieties of similar flowering time. The cultivars had different numbers of leaves on the main stem, associated mainly with differences in rate of leaf appearance rather than duration of leaf production. The Mexican cultivars produced leaves more quickly throughout growth, and this was repeated under glasshouse conditions. A fast rate of leaf appearance was associated with more spikelets and with faster tillering. Analysis of parental, F1, F2 and backcross populations of one cross showed leaf production rate to be under polygenic control with moderate heritability.