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Exogenous Ca2+ alleviates nitrogen and water deficit, and improves growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings exposed to high temperature

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Abstract

This study was designed to examine whether exogenous Ca2+ would improve nitrogen nutrition, water status and growth of high temperature (HT)-stressed wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings. Wheat plants were exposed to 35/30 and 25/20°C as temperature control. Some of HT-stressed plants were simultaneously treated with 4 mM Ca2+. External Ca2+ could obviously improve growth of HT-exposed wheat seedlings indicated by the biomass. Compared with Ca2+-untreated plants, total nitrogen content showed a significant increase in Ca2+-treated plants under HT stress, this primarily resulted from enhanced nitrate reductase activity and depressed loss of ammonium through photorespiration. External Ca2+ application could also increase leaf relative water content and alleviate osmotic stress via increased K+ ion and water-soluble carbohydrates in HT-stressed plants. Whereas free proline content showed remarkable decline in Ca2+-treated plants at HT stress.

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Abbreviations

FW:

Fresh weight

HT:

High temperature

NADH-GDH:

NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase

NADP-ICDH:

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase

NR:

Nitrate reductase

RWC:

Relative water content

GS:

Glutamine synthetase

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by National Food Production Projects of China (No. 2006BAD02A07-2) and Key Agricultural Research Projects of Henan Province, China (No. 072102170002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Key Laboratory for Regulating and Controlling Crop Growth and Development, Agronomy College, Henan Agricultural University, 450002, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Qiang Wang, Zong-Bin Ma, Chun-Li Wang & Tong-Bao Lin

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  1. Zhi-Qiang Wang
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  2. Zong-Bin Ma
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  3. Chun-Li Wang
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Correspondence to Tong-Bao Lin.

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Wang, ZQ., Ma, ZB., Wang, CL. et al. Exogenous Ca2+ alleviates nitrogen and water deficit, and improves growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings exposed to high temperature. Plant Growth Regul 61, 223–229 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-010-9466-9

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