Root length and root lipid composition contribute to drought tolerance of winter and spring wheat

Background and aim Mechanisms of drought tolerance based on root architecture and lipid composition in wheat are poorly understood. We quantified the differences in root morphological traits and phospholipids and galactolipids levels between winter and spring wheat genotypes at variable water supply...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil 2019-06, Vol.439 (1/2), p.57-73
Main Authors: Djanaguiraman, M., Prasad, P. V. V., Kumari, J., Rengel, Z.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Canada
Chemical properties
Composition
Drought
Drought resistance
Droughts
Dry matter
Ecology
Galactolipids
Genotypes
Life Sciences
Lipid composition
Lipids
Phospholipids
Plant growth
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
REGULAR ARTICLE
Roots
Soil Science & Conservation
Spring
Spring wheat
Triticum aestivum
Water supply
Wheat
Winter wheat
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background and aim Mechanisms of drought tolerance based on root architecture and lipid composition in wheat are poorly understood. We quantified the differences in root morphological traits and phospholipids and galactolipids levels between winter and spring wheat genotypes at variable water supply amounts (drought stress). Methods Experiments were conducted using seven winter and four spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) genotypes. In the first experiment, solid agar medium was used to quantify seminal root angles. In the second experiment, the plants were grown in 150-cm columns in a greenhouse under full and deficit water supply for 65 days to record root architecture. The root tips (2-cm-long) were used for quantifying polar lipids. Results Drought stress at vegetative stage decreased plant height (14%), total dry matter production (48%), maximum root length (25%), root length:shoot length ratio (11%), and other root traits. Winter wheat genotypes had ~1.5 times higher maximum root length than spring wheat genotypes. Significant differences in molar percentages of root phospholipids and galactolipids, molecular species, and double bond index of galactolipids were observed among spring wheat but not winter wheat genotypes. Conclusions Based on the genotypes studied, the drought tolerant mechanism of winter wheat was associated with deep root system, and in spring wheat it was well branched (albeit shallow) root system with more unsaturated membrane lipids.
ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036
DOI:10.1007/s11104-018-3794-3