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Embryo and endosperm development in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels subjected to drought stress

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Abstract

The aim of the present work was to reveal the histological alterations triggered in developing wheat kernels by soil drought stress during early seed development resulting in yield losses at harvest. For this purpose, observations were made on the effect of drought stress, applied in a controlled environment from the 5th to the 9th day after pollination, on the kernel morphology, starch content and grain yield of the drought-sensitive Cappelle Desprez and drought-tolerant Plainsman V winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties. As a consequence of water withdrawal, there was a decrease in the size of the embryos and the number of A-type starch granules deposited in the endosperm, while the development of aleurone cells and the degradation of the cell layers surrounding the ovule were significantly accelerated in both genotypes. In addition, the number of B-type starch granules per cell was significantly reduced. Drought stress affected the rate of grain filling shortened the grain-filling and ripening period and severely reduced the yield. With respect to the recovery of vegetative tissues, seed set and yield, the drought-tolerant Plainsman V responded significantly better to drought stress than Cappelle Desprez. The reduction in the size of the mature embryos was significantly greater in the sensitive genotype. Compared to Plainsman V, the endosperm cells of Cappelle Desprez accumulated significantly fewer B-type starch granules. In stressed kernels of the tolerant genotype, the accumulation of protein bodies occurred significantly earlier than in the sensitive variety.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Emese Békné Kapral, Erika Gondos and Edina Varga for their excellent technical assistance and Barbara Harasztos for revising the manuscript linguistically. This work was funded by the National Office for Research and Technology, Republic of Hungary (NKTH 4-064/04), Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA 68099), the Economic Competitiveness Operational Programme, Republic of Hungary (GVOP 522/3.1) and the EU-FP7-REGPOT 2007-1 (AGRISAFE 203288) project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Brunszvik 2, Martonvásár, 2462, Hungary

    Attila Fábián, Katalin Jäger, Mariann Rakszegi & Beáta Barnabás

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  1. Attila Fábián
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  2. Katalin Jäger
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  3. Mariann Rakszegi
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  4. Beáta Barnabás
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Correspondence to Beáta Barnabás.

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Communicated by J. Register.

A. Fábián and K. Jäger are Co-first authors.

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Fábián, A., Jäger, K., Rakszegi, M. et al. Embryo and endosperm development in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels subjected to drought stress. Plant Cell Rep 30, 551–563 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-010-0966-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-010-0966-x

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