The relationship between characteristics of root morphology and grain filling in wheat under drought stress

Abstract

Drought is a common yield limiting factor in wheat production and has become a significant threat to global food security. Root system is the organ responsible for water uptake from soil and root growth is closely associated with yield and quality of wheat. However, the relationship between morphological and structural characteristics of root growth and caryopsis enrichment in wheat under drought stress is unclear. In this study, two wheat cultivars (YM13 and YN19) were treated with drought from flowering to caryopsis maturity stage. The changes in morphological structure of roots and characteristics of endosperm enrichment were investigated. Drought stress significantly reduced the root length, plant height, root dry weight and aboveground parts dry weight, whereas the root-shoot ratio of YM13 and YN19 increased by 17.65% and 8.33% under drought stress, respectively. The spike length, spike weight, grains number per spike and 1,000-grains weight of mature wheat also significantly declined under drought stress. Meanwhile, the cross section structure of roots was changed with the enlargement of vascular cylinder and dense distribution of xylem vessels under drought stress. Additionally, drought stress affected the substance enrichment in wheat caryopses, decreasing starch accumulation and increasing protein accumulation of endosperm. Correlation analysis suggested that the root length was closely correlated with the relative areas of amyloplast (0.51) and protein body (0.70), and drought stress increased the correlation coefficient (0.79 and 0.78, respectively). While the root dry weight had a significantly positive correlation with the plant height and aboveground parts dry weight. The results can provide theoretical basis for root architecture optimization, water-saving and high-yield cultivation and quality improvement in wheat.

Development and calibration of the FSPM CPlantBox to represent the interactions between water and carbon fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum

“…In this study, we used our model to look at the effect of a dry and warm spell of one week on plant water flow, carbon flow, and growth, based on the expected temperature, air relative humidity, and relative variation in soil water content in Germany for June of 2100 (but without changes of CO 2 concentrations). We could observe a lower growth rate for all organ, fitting with the results of Chen et al [10] for monocots under drought stress. In this simulation, the lower growth was caused by a too low 32 turgor pressure rather than a lack of sucrose.…”

Growth and production of wheat cultivars under water tensions in Cerrado soil

“…This may be attributed to physiological and biochemical disturbances that affect the regulation of stomatal opening and chlorophyll biosynthesis, which are essential for photosynthesis (Aurangzaib et al, 2021). These results corroborate those of Chen et al (2021), who found that wheat plants had a lower height when there was soil water restriction. On the other hand, the plant height of the other studied genotypes, BRS 264 and BRS 394, was stimulated by soil water deficit (45 kPa).…”

Rapid and Nondestructive Evaluation of Wheat Chlorophyll under Drought Stress Using Hyperspectral Imaging

“…The filling stage is the most rapid stage of wheat grain development, and photosynthetic capacity during this period strongly affects yield. Meanwhile, drought stress at the wheat filling stage has a significant impact on photosynthesis and wheat yield [ 65 , 66 ]. Therefore, it is important to estimate the chlorophyll content of wheat under drought stress in the filling stage for screening the drought-resistant wheat varieties.…”