Sterility in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Induced by Water Deficit or High Temperature: Possible Mediation by Abscisic Acid

Abstract

The application of abscisic acid solution to developing spikes of wheat (cv. Gabo) via wicks threaded through peduncles at the stage of meiosis in pollen mother cells caused pollen sterility without affecting female fertility. The concentration of abscisic acid measured in the spikelets of plants treated in this manner was close to that induced by water stress, which produced a similar level of pollen sterility. After pollen mother cell meiosis, treatment with abscisic acid had no effect on pollen fertility, as has been shown previously with water stress. Abscisic acid applied immediately before meiosis reduced fertility, in contrast to the effect of water stress, but this may have been due to persistence of the hormone in the plant. High temperature during pollen mother cell meiosis had no effect on the endogenous abscisic acid content of the spikelets, even where the treatment caused a complete inhibition of grain set.