Studies of Oat-Maize Hybrids Tolerance to Soil Drought Stress
, Roman Bathelt 1, Edyta Skrzypek 2, Marzena Warchoł 2, Jan Bocianowski 3 and Agnieszka Sutkowska 1
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The work give more details for the tolerance of oat-maize hybrids under soil drought stress. One question is that the 9 and 78b have higher value on the number of grains and the mass of grains/plant, but other indicators, including chlorophyll content and chlorophyll florescence, are not at the high level within the 14 OMA lines.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Dear Reviewer,
Please find below the response to the suggestions.
Reviewer #1
Point 1: The work give more details for the tolerance of oat-maize hybrids under soil drought stress. One question is that the 9 and 78b have higher value on the number of grains and the mass of grains/plant, but other indicators, including chlorophyll content and chlorophyll florescence, are not at the high level within the 14 OMA lines.
Response: Thank you very much for your precious comments. We cannot answer unequivocally for this issue as we did not examine other metabolic pathways. When we look at the differences in the values of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and chlorophyll content after 2 weeks of stress, we observed comparable values of above mentioned parameters in control plants cv Bingo and 9 and 78b. Some differences were observed but mostly insignificant. Therefore overall assessment including yield formation parameters were positive and we distinguished them from other lines as for potentially valuable for breeding programs.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
To,
The Editor,
Agriculture, MDPI,
Manuscript ID: agriculture-2160765
Subject: Submission of comments on the manuscript in “Agriculture"
Dear Editor Agriculture, MDPI,
Thank you very much for the invitation to consider a potential reviewer for the manuscript (ID: agriculture-2160765). My comments responses are furnished below as per each reviewer’s comments.
Dear Chief Editor,
The present work authors evaluated the physiological, biochemical and agronomic parameters of oat × maize chromosome addition (OMA) plants under soil drought stress. Analysis of variance indicated that the main effects of genotype as well as treatment genotype interaction were significant for all the traits of study (photosynthetic pigment content, selected PSII indices, the mass of stem, number of grans/plant, the mass of grain/plant). Most of the lines under drought stress severely reduced PSII pho- 26 to system parameters, pigment content, and yield-related traits, but there were two lines (9 and 78b) 27 remaining high yielding potential under drought stress higher than commercial cv. Bingo. In general, the manuscript represents a very big piece of research in a logical presentation. Therefore, it might be conditionally accepted as subject to minor revision. Instead, authors have to improve their manuscripts with many non-clear meanings, inaccuracies, and the authors need to address the following issues before it can be accepted for publication.
- I have read the entire manuscript and my initial comment is that manuscript is well-written.
- Line 26 grans replaced with grains
- The authors must add the conclusion section.
- Line no. 528 in selected oat delete the space
- Line no. 530 Crop Science replaced with Crop Science
- Line no. 531 Plant; Cell & Environment replaced with Plant Cell & Environ.
- Line no. 534 Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
- Line no. 536 Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
- The authors have not followed the journal format for the reference section after line 536, therefore, check all references, for instance, the journal name must be abbreviated and in italics. Further, the scientific name must be in italics.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Dear Reviewer,
Please find below the response to the suggestions.
Reviewer #2
Point 1: The present work authors evaluated the physiological, biochemical and agronomic parameters of oat × maize chromosome addition (OMA) plants under soil drought stress. Analysis of variance indicated that the main effects of genotype as well as treatment genotype interaction were significant for all the traits of study (photosynthetic pigment content, selected PSII indices, the mass of stem, number of grans/plant, the mass of grain/plant). Most of the lines under drought stress severely reduced PSII pho- 26 to system parameters, pigment content, and yield-related traits, but there were two lines (9 and 78b) 27 remaining high yielding potential under drought stress higher than commercial cv. Bingo. In general, the manuscript represents a very big piece of research in a logical presentation. Therefore, it might be conditionally accepted as subject to minor revision. Instead, authors have to improve their manuscripts with many non-clear meanings, inaccuracies, and the authors need to address the following issues before it can be accepted for publication.
Response:
Thank you very much. I would like to state that the manuscript was improved non-clear meanings, inaccuracies were eliminated the form of data presentation, as well as Conclusion section was added.
Point 2: I have read the entire manuscript and my initial comment is that manuscript is well-written.
Response: Thank you very much for this opinion.
Point 3: Line 26 grans replaced with grains.
Response: The word was corrected.
Point 4: The authors must add the conclusion section.
Response: The Conclusion section was added.
Point 5: Line no. 528 in selected oat delete the space
Response: The space was delated.
Point 6: Line no. 530 Crop Science replaced with Crop Science.
Response: Crop Science was replaced with Crop Science.
Point 7: Line no. 531 Plant; Cell & Environment replaced with Plant Cell & Environ.
Response: Plant; Cell & Environment was replaced with Plant Cell & Environ
Point 8: Line no. 534 Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
Response: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science was replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
Point 9: Line no. 536 Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
Response: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science replaced with J Agron Crop Sci.
Point 10: The authors have not followed the journal format for the reference section after line 536, therefore, check all references, for instance, the journal name must be abbreviated and in italics. Further, the scientific name must be in italics.
Response: We have corrected the references to adjust the format the journal format requirements, the journal names were formatted to conform it to journal format therefor the names of the cited journal are abbreviated and they are in italics. Also the scientific names are in italics. Thank you again for that comment with help us to improve the manuscript to conform it to the Agriculture MDPI format.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear appreciated authors,
The manuscript “Studies of oat-maize hybrids tolerance to soil drought stress” was found innovative, interesting, scientifically sound and the topic gives information about the stability and advantages of OMA plants, under soil drought stress.
However, there are a few details which should be considered (see below) and some revisions have to be made and before it can reach a publishable value.
Abstract:
Line 12-13: The plant development, growth and crop yield has been largely depended by environmental conditions.
Line 23: In Abstract should avoid Abbreviations. Abbreviations/Initializes should be defined the first time they appear in text.
Line 25: Most of the examined lines severely reduced PSII photosystem parameters, pigment content and yield related traits under drought stress. The results indicated that two lines (9 and 78b) remaining high yielding potential under drought stress higher than commercial cv. Bingo.
Introduction:
I suggest that lines from 33 – 77 have to be the second part of Introduction, since it presents the way how to improve oat drought resistance and significance of OMA lines (oat x maize addition lines) genotypes.
Line 78-104: My suggestion is that with this part of text - lines from 78 - 104 - should start in Introduction (because it describes the main characteristic of oat and sensitivity of drought stress and then reason for hybridization).
Line 72: Materials and Methods
Line 130: There is a need precise pot size.
Line 139: In which growth stage collections of leaves were done?
Line 142: In which growth stage?
Line 267: Please, set up Table on one page
Line 336: while negative was found for t2.
Conclusion
Based on the present findings it can be concluded that the most of the lines under stress conditions drastically reduced yield related traits. Furthermore, two lines with high yielding potential were found comparable with commercial cv. Bingo in control condition (no drought stress). Therefore, those two lines, 9 and 78b expressed higher yielding potential also in drought stress which was expressed in much lower reduction of number of grains/plant and mass of grains/plant. Information in this regard would help breeders to make better selection of desirable parents to develop an efficient breeding program to obtain new and drought resistant genotypes with high grain yield potential for food and nutritional security.
Based on all, author's paper should be accepted for publication, after minor revisions, because the paper represents a significant contribution to breeding programs, as well as for science.
Best regards,
NL
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 3 Comments
Dear Reviewer,
Please find below the response to the suggestions.
Reviewer #3
Point 1: The manuscript “Studies of oat-maize hybrids tolerance to soil drought stress” was found innovative, interesting, scientifically sound and the topic gives information about the stability and advantages of OMA plants, under soil drought stress.
Response: Thank you very much, for the positive assessment of our research, conducted experiments and plant material generated by our team utilized in the presented studies.
However, there are a few details which should be considered (see below) and some revisions have to be made and before it can reach a publishable value.
Abstract:
Point 2: Line 12-13: The plant development, growth and crop yield has been largely depended by environmental conditions.
Response: We changed the sentence as follows: “The ontogenesis as well as yield formation in crop plants are modified by environmental conditions.”
Point 3: Line 23: In Abstract should avoid Abbreviations. Abbreviations/Initializes should be defined the first time they appear in text.
Response: We change the order, and the sentence with defined abbreviation is first then the sentence using only the abbreviation as follows:
“Additional maize chromosomes in oat plants (oat × maize addition, OMA) often infer the morphological and physiological (e.g. PS II photosystem activity and chlorophyll production) changes modulated by interaction of certain maize chromosome addition and oat genome.”
Point 4: Line 25: Most of the examined lines severely reduced PSII photosystem parameters, pigment content and yield related traits under drought stress. The results indicated that two lines (9 and 78b) remaining high yielding potential under drought stress higher than commercial cv. Bingo.
Response: We change the frase according to Reviewer suggestion as follows: “Most of the examined lines severely reduced PSII photosystem parameters, pigment content and yield related traits under drought stress. The results indicated that two lines (9 and 78b) remained high yielding potential under drought stress higher than commercial cv. Bingo.”
Introduction:
Point 5: I suggest that lines from 33 – 77 have to be the second part of Introduction, since it presents the way how to improve oat drought resistance and significance of OMA lines (oat x maize addition lines) genotypes.
Response: We change the paragraph and now information from lines 33-77 are in the second part of the Introduction.
Point 6: Line 78-104: My suggestion is that with this part of text - lines from 78 - 104 - should start in Introduction (because it describes the main characteristic of oat and sensitivity of drought stress and then reason for hybridization).
Response: We change the order of the paragraphs as suggested by the Reviewer and now the information from lines 78-104 are put at the beginning of the Introduction section.
Point 7: Line 72: Materials and Methods
Response: We are not sure about the suggestion because the Materials and Methods starts in line 110. We assumed that the Reviewer meant the inaccuracies of the section Materials and Methods listed below. There were some missing information and we agree with the Reviewer that incorporating them is the contribution to improve the manuscript.
Point 8: Line 130: There is a need precise pot size.
Response: We supply the information in the following sentence:
“The pots (20 cm × 14 cm) contained sand mixed with peat in equal parts with a total weight of 2500 g.”
Point 9: Line 139: In which growth stage collections of leaves were done?
Response: We give the information in the following sentence:
“1. Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of plants at the beginning of heading (tip of inflorescence emerged from sheath, first spikelet just visible) after reaching 20% of substrate moisture and collection of leaves for biochemical analysis.”
Point 10: Line 142: In which growth stage?
Response: We supply the information in the following sentence:
“2. Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of plants at the end of flowering (all spikelets have completed flowering) at the end of the drought stress (2 weeks after reaching 20% of substrate moisture) and collection of leaves for biochemical analysis.”
Point 11: Line 267: Please, set up Table on one page.
Response: The tables with individual traits according to Academic Editor advice (from the manuscript Table 2-22) were transferred to Supplementary material (Tables S1-S21) and none of the table are separated onto more than one page.
Point 12: Line 336: while negative was found for t2.
Response: The sentence was changed according to reviewer suggestion as follows:
“The most significant positive, linear relationship with the first canonical variate was found for: t1, t4, t6, t10, t11, t12, t13, t15, t16, t17, t18 and t19, while the negative was found for t2.”
Conclusion
Point 13: Based on the present findings it can be concluded that the most of the lines under stress conditions drastically reduced yield related traits. Furthermore, two lines with high yielding potential were found comparable with commercial cv. Bingo in control condition (no drought stress). Therefore, those two lines, 9 and 78b expressed higher yielding potential also in drought stress which was expressed in much lower reduction of number of grains/plant and mass of grains/plant. Information in this regard would help breeders to make better selection of desirable parents to develop an efficient breeding program to obtain new and drought resistant genotypes with high grain yield potential for food and nutritional security.
Response: Thank you very much for the suggestion. We add the Conclusion section and we changed it according to the above precious proposal of the Reviewer.
Point 14: Based on all, author's paper should be accepted for publication, after minor revisions, because the paper represents a significant contribution to breeding programs, as well as for science.
Response: Thank you very much for positive opinion about our research and form of presentation. We believe that all changes made by inspiration of the Reviewer suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
