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Pre-drought priming sustains grain development under post-anthesis drought stress by regulating the growth hormones in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Main conclusion

Drought stress during grain filling is the most yield-damaging to wheat. Pre-drought priming facilitated the wheat plants to sustain grain development against the post-anthesis drought stress by modulating the levels of growth hormones.

Post-anthesis drought stress substantially reduces grain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) due to impaired grain development associated with imbalanced levels of growth hormones. To investigate whether pre-drought priming could sustain grain development in wheat by regulating favorable levels of growth hormones under post-anthesis drought conditions, the plants of a drought-sensitive (Yangmai-16) and drought-tolerant (Luhan-7) wheat cultivar were exposed to a moderate drought stress during tillering (Feekes 2 stage) for priming, and then, a subsequent severe drought stress was applied from 7 to 14 days after anthesis. The results showed that drought-stressed plants of both cultivars showed a decline in flag leaf water potential, chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic rate, grain size initiation, and grain filling as compared to well-watered plants; however, decline in these traits was less in pre-drought primed (PD) plants than in nonprimed (ND) plants. Under drought stress, the PD plants regulated higher concentrations of zeatin and zeatin riboside, indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellins, and lower abscisic acid content in grains, resulting in higher endosperm cell division and expansion, grain size initiation, grain-filling rate and duration, and finally higher grain dry weights as compared to ND plants. The PD plants of both cultivars showed higher potential to tolerate the post-anthesis drought stress, but more effect was displayed by drought-tolerant cultivar. From the achieved results, it was concluded that pre-drought priming facilitated the wheat plants to sustain higher grain development and yield against the most yield-damaging post-anthesis drought stress by modulating the levels of growth hormones.

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Abbreviations

GAs:

Gibberellins

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic acid

Z:

Zeatin

ZR:

Zeatin riboside

ΨW :

Leaf water potential

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Acknowledgements

We deeply acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31471443) for this study as a part of a Project by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Production Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Abid, Yuhang Shao, Sixi Liu, Feng Wang, Jingwen Gao, Dong Jiang, Zhongwei Tian & Tingbo Dai

  2. Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Soon Valley, Khushab, Punjab, 41000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Abid

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  1. Muhammad Abid
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  2. Yuhang Shao
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Correspondence to Tingbo Dai.

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Abid, M., Shao, Y., Liu, S. et al. Pre-drought priming sustains grain development under post-anthesis drought stress by regulating the growth hormones in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Planta 246, 509–524 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2698-4

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