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Abscisic Acid and Ethylene Interact in Rice Spikelets in Response to Water Stress During Meiosis

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Abstract

This study investigated whether and how the interaction between abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene is involved in the regulation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) spikelet sterility when subjected to water stress during meiosis. Two rice cultivars, HA-3 (drought-resistant) and WY-7 (drought-susceptible), were used and subjected to well-watered and water-stressed (WS) treatments during meiosis (15–2 days before heading). Leaf water potentials of both cultivars markedly decreased during the day as a result of the WS treatment, but panicle water potentials remained constant. The percentage of sterile spikelets in WS plants was increased by 49.7% for WJ-7 but only 12.7% for HA-3. ABA, ethylene, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid were all enhanced in spikelets by the water stress, but ethylene was enhanced more than ABA in WY-7 when compared with that in HA-3. Spikelet sterility was significantly reduced when ABA or amino-ethoxyvinylglycine, an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis, was applied to the panicles of WS plants at the early meiosis stage. Application of ethephon, an ethylene-releasing agent, or fluridone, an inhibitor of ABA synthesis, had the opposite effect, and sterility was increased. The results suggest that antagonistic interactions between ABA and ethylene may be involved in mediating the effect of water stress on spikelet fertility. A higher ratio of ABA to ethylene would be a physiologic trait of rice adaptation to water stress.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 30671225), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2006069), Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Project No. HKBU 2165/05M), and Hong Kong University Grant Committee (AOE/B-07/99).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology of Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China

    Jianchang Yang, Kai Liu, Zhiqin Wang & Lijun Liu

  2. Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

    Jianhua Zhang

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  1. Jianchang Yang
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Correspondence to Jianhua Zhang.

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Yang, J., Zhang, J., Liu, K. et al. Abscisic Acid and Ethylene Interact in Rice Spikelets in Response to Water Stress During Meiosis. J Plant Growth Regul 26, 318–328 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-007-9013-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-007-9013-8

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