Night-Warming Priming at the Vegetative Stage Alleviates Damage to the Flag Leaf Caused by Post-anthesis Warming in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

The asymmetric warming in diurnal and seasonal temperature patterns plays an important role in crop distribution and productivity. Asymmetric warming during the early growth periods of winter wheat profoundly affects its vegetative growth and post-anthesis grain productivity. Field experiments were conducted on winter wheat to explore the impact of night warming treatment in winter (Winter warming treatment, WT) or spring (Spring warming treatment, ST) on the senescence of flag leaves and yield of wheat plants later treated with night warming during grain filling (Warming treatment during grain filling, FT). The results showed that FT decreased wheat yield by reducing the number of grains per panicle and per 1,000-grain weight and that the yield of wheat plants treated with FT declined to a greater extent than that of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT. The net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of the flag leaves of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT were higher than those under the control treatment from 0 to 7 days after anthesis (DAA) but were lower than those under the control treatment and higher than those of wheat plants treated with FT alone from 14 to 28 DAA. The soluble protein and Rubisco contents in the flag leaves of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT were high in the early grain-filling period and then gradually decreased to below those of the control treatment. These contents were greater in wheat plants treated with WT + FT than in wheat plants treated with ST + FT from 0 to 14 DAA, whereas the opposite was true from 21 to 28 DAA. Furthermore, WT + FT and ST + FT inhibited membrane lipid peroxidation by increasing superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities and lowering phospholipase D (PLD), phosphatidic acid (PA), lipoxygenase (LOX), and free fatty acid levels in the early grain-filling period, but their inhibitory effects on membrane lipid peroxidation gradually weakened during the late grain-filling period. Night-warming priming alleviated the adverse effect of post-anthesis warming on yield by delaying the post-anthesis senescence of flag leaves.

Asymmetric Impacts of Diurnal Warming on Vegetation Carbon Sequestration of Marshes in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau

“…Until recently, it remains unclear whether there are asymmetric impacts of changes in day and night temperatures on marsh vegetation of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Given the asymmetric increase in global daytime and nighttime temperatures (B. Liu et al., 2004; Fan et al., 2021; Karl et al., 1991; Shen, Liu, et al., 2014; Shen, Zhang, et al., 2014), it is necessary to explore whether the daytime and nighttime temperature changes have a similar effect on marsh NPP on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau.…”

“…Given the asymmetric increase in global daytime and nighttime temperatures (B. Liu et al, 2004;Fan et al, 2021;Karl et al, 1991;Shen, Liu, et al, 2014;Shen, Zhang, et al, 2014), it is necessary to explore whether the daytime and nighttime temperature changes have a similar effect on marsh NPP on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.…”

The Influence of Flag Leaf Removal and Its Characteristics on Main Yield Components and Yield Quality Indices on Wheat

“…Fokar et al [57] and Liu et al [58] registered similar slight flag leaf senescence after anthesis in the case of optimal conditions, and this can be accelerated by heat and drought conditions, while [59] affirm that post-anthesis drought substantially accelerated the loss of chlorophyll. In a previous study [60], the authors observed that the chlorophyll content was highly maintained in the early grain-filling period, and their photosynthetic capacity gradually became lower after this period. Regarding the carotenoid content, during the first experimental year (Figure 2C), a high level was maintained from booting to 21 DAA (>65 mg/100 g DM) in flag leaf as a cellular defense mechanism to minimize the damage due to oxidative stress [61].…”

Evaluation of source–sink manipulation through defoliation treatments in promising bread wheat lines under optimal irrigation and rainfed conditions

“…Drought-tolerant genotypes retained many photosynthetic pigments under drought stress (Epee Misse, 2018). Also, it has been observed that the chlorophyll content was highly maintained during the initial grain-filling period, and their photosynthetic capacity gradually decreased after this period (Fan et al, 2021). The significant relationship between chlorophyll content with resource limitation seems to be due to stronger sinks in these genotypes.…”