Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress
With the intensification of climate change, spring low-temperature stress (SLTS) leads to floret degeneration and a decrease in grain number. This study investigated the physiological mechanisms underlying SLTS-induced floret degeneration using two wheat varieties with contrasting cold sensitivity....
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Crop Journal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214514125001564 |
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| author | Ying Weng Zhiwei Tang Weixiang Huang Rui Wang Feifei Wang Hongmei Cai Hao Wang Zehao Liu Baoqiang Zheng Jincai Li Xiang Chen |
| author_facet | Ying Weng Zhiwei Tang Weixiang Huang Rui Wang Feifei Wang Hongmei Cai Hao Wang Zehao Liu Baoqiang Zheng Jincai Li Xiang Chen |
| author_sort | Ying Weng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the intensification of climate change, spring low-temperature stress (SLTS) leads to floret degeneration and a decrease in grain number. This study investigated the physiological mechanisms underlying SLTS-induced floret degeneration using two wheat varieties with contrasting cold sensitivity. SLTS caused yellowing and shrinkage of floret primordia, increasing floret degeneration and fertile floret abortion, ultimately reducing grains per spike by 12.2%–26.1%. SLTS disrupted nutrient supply, impairing dry matter accumulation in young spikes. At 0–15 d after low-temperature stress (DALTS), SLTS caused a brief increase in the sugar content of young spikes (0–3 DALTS), followed by a rapid decrease (6–15 DALTS), while the total nitrogen content keeps decreasing. SLTS altered key enzyme activities, enhancing sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase but suppressing nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that SLTS perturbed starch and sucrose metabolism, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and amino sugar pathways, altering soluble sugars, sucrose, fructose, and protein levels. SLTS disrupted carbon–nitrogen metabolic homeostasis, thereby reducing the number of fertile florets and ultimately leading to a decrease in grain number per spike. These findings enhance understanding of SLTS impacts on wheat floret development and provide insights for improving low-temperature tolerance and yield stability in wheat. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-06ad01fce20f472d8a3220797ca09cfd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-5141 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crop Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-06ad01fce20f472d8a3220797ca09cfd2025-08-22T04:56:36ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Crop Journal2214-51412025-08-011341246125810.1016/j.cj.2025.06.007Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stressYing Weng0Zhiwei Tang1Weixiang Huang2Rui Wang3Feifei Wang4Hongmei Cai5Hao Wang6Zehao Liu7Baoqiang Zheng8Jincai Li9Xiang Chen10National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, ChinaNational Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, China; Corresponding authors.National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China; Corresponding authors.With the intensification of climate change, spring low-temperature stress (SLTS) leads to floret degeneration and a decrease in grain number. This study investigated the physiological mechanisms underlying SLTS-induced floret degeneration using two wheat varieties with contrasting cold sensitivity. SLTS caused yellowing and shrinkage of floret primordia, increasing floret degeneration and fertile floret abortion, ultimately reducing grains per spike by 12.2%–26.1%. SLTS disrupted nutrient supply, impairing dry matter accumulation in young spikes. At 0–15 d after low-temperature stress (DALTS), SLTS caused a brief increase in the sugar content of young spikes (0–3 DALTS), followed by a rapid decrease (6–15 DALTS), while the total nitrogen content keeps decreasing. SLTS altered key enzyme activities, enhancing sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase but suppressing nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that SLTS perturbed starch and sucrose metabolism, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and amino sugar pathways, altering soluble sugars, sucrose, fructose, and protein levels. SLTS disrupted carbon–nitrogen metabolic homeostasis, thereby reducing the number of fertile florets and ultimately leading to a decrease in grain number per spike. These findings enhance understanding of SLTS impacts on wheat floret development and provide insights for improving low-temperature tolerance and yield stability in wheat.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214514125001564Triticum aestivum L.Fertile floretsCarbon and nitrogen metabolismTranscriptomicsCold stress |
| spellingShingle | Ying Weng Zhiwei Tang Weixiang Huang Rui Wang Feifei Wang Hongmei Cai Hao Wang Zehao Liu Baoqiang Zheng Jincai Li Xiang Chen Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress Crop Journal Triticum aestivum L. Fertile florets Carbon and nitrogen metabolism Transcriptomics Cold stress |
| title | Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress |
| title_full | Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress |
| title_fullStr | Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress |
| title_short | Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress |
| title_sort | integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low temperature stress |
| topic | Triticum aestivum L. Fertile florets Carbon and nitrogen metabolism Transcriptomics Cold stress |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214514125001564 |
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