Categories of resistance at four growth stages in three wheats resistant to the Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine categories of resistance to Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), in three wheats, Triticum aestivum L, (PI 372129, PI 243781, and PI 222668) at Zadoks growth stages 10, 20, 30, and 40. 'TAM 107' was used as the susceptible standard. Antixenosis was observed in PI 222668 and PI 372129. Antibiosis was expressed as reduced nymphipositional period, daily nymph production, and fecundity at the jointing (Zadoks 30) and boot (Zadoks 40) stages in PI 243781 and at tillering (Zadoks 20) in TAM 107. Antibiosis, expressed as reduced intrinsic rate of increase, was observed in PI 222668 at tillering (Zadoks 20). Tolerance to chlorosis and leaf rolling was expressed in the three resistant wheats at all growth stages tested. Tiller production, floret formation, spike length and wet weight were affected by Russian wheat aphid feeding after Zadoks 10. Reduction in spike length did not occur in PI 372129 and PI 243781.     

Effects of Boron Deficiency on Anther Development and Floret Fertility in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. 'Wilgoyne')

Boron (B) deficiency limits reproductive growth more than vegetativegrowth in cereals such as wheat. The purpose of the presentstudy was to identify the critical stages of anther developmentof wheat (‘Wilgoyne’) during which B deficiencycauses a significant and irreversible decrease of floret fertilityin order to formulate timely measures for correcting or preventingthis problem. Withdrawing B from the rooting medium for 3 dbetween premeiotic interphase through meiosis to late tetrad,limited anther elongation and resulted in the loss of pollenviability. The negative effects of B withdrawal on anther lengthsuggest that the role of B in reproductive cell walls is similarto that in vegetative ones. The results indicated that as moreflorets reached meiosis within the period of B withdrawal, thelower was floret fertility and the number of grains set in awhole ear. For the whole ear, the critical period during whichB deficiency causes maximal and irreversible damage to floretfertility was about 7 d, extending from the early emergenceof the flag leaf to 2–3 d after its full emergence. Theresults suggest that there are two phases of pollen developmentsensitive to boron deficiency: the period from premeiotic interphasethrough meiosis to late tetrad was the most sensitive stageof microsporogenesis in wheat while the period from mitosis-Ito II during which starch accumulation occurred in pollen grainswas less sensitive. Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Anther, boron (B) deficiency, floret fertility, Grain Set Index (GSI), pollen, wheat (‘Wilgoyne’)     

Influence of UV-B radiation on the reproductive function of Hordeum vulgare L. plants

Irradiation of barley seedlings by ultraviolet-B radiation influences the growth and development of the sexual elements of the spike, accelerating differentiation of the sporogenous tissue of the anther and the male gametophyte, a phenomenon which is accompanied by an increase in the asynchronicity of microgametogenesis and in heterogeny of the pollen grains, and in an increase in the sterility of the pollen grains. High ultraviolet doses tend to reduce the level of sterility of the anther due to intensification of haplontic cell selection. The influence of ultraviolet irradiation on the reproductive system of the plant is expressed in genotoxic (through damage to the DNA of meristemic cells) and photo-inductive (through acceleration of efflorescence and differentiation of gametophytes) effects.     

Floret Initiation and Development in Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The number and developmental stages of florets were determinedin each spikelet of the spike in the main shoots of spring wheat.Samples were taken frequently from plants grown in a phytotronand in a nitrogen application field-test. Ten stages of development,from floret initiation until anthesis, were recognized and described. Inter-spikelet variation in the total number of initiated floretswas rather small. However, the number of florets at advancedstages of development, as well as the number of grains, washighest in the central spikelets in which florets initiatedfirst. Floret initiation did not proceed beyond spike emergence,whereafter the distal florets and the spikelet apex degenerated.Grain-set was restricted to florets which had developed at leastto the stage of visible anther lobes at spike emergence. Thenumber of these florets was increased significantly by nitrogenapplication. Wheat, Triticum aestivum L., spikelet, floret, grain set, nitrogen     

Culture of Barley Anthers in Conditioned Media

High yielding anther cultures of Hordeum vulgare cv. Sabarlisare obtained at inoculation densities of 10—20 per mlby use of media previously conditioned by Sabarlis anthers.To achieve these high yields anthers at the mid-unicellularpollen stage (stage 2), stressed in the excised spike for 14d at 7 °C, are necessary, but for conditioning of mediaolder anthers may be used with or without the stress pretreatment.Conditioning for 7 d by anthers at young bicellular pollen stages(stages 5—6) is highly effective. Hormones supplied inthe medium interact synergistically with the conditioning factor. Sabarlis ovaries are shown to be even more effective for conditioningthan anthers, whereas glumes and other parts of the spike arerelatively ineffective. Anthers of oats, rye, wheat, maize,tobacco, and one other genotype of barley are also less effectivethan Sabarlis anthers. The improved method of anther culture is more efficient thanspike culture for the production of pollen callus in Sabarlisbarley.     

Calmodulin7: recent insights into emerging roles in plant development and stress

Key message

The developmental stage of anther development is generally more sensitive to abiotic stress than other stages of growth. Specific ROS levels, plant hormones and carbohydrate metabolism are disturbed in anthers subjected to abiotic stresses.

Abstract

As sessile organisms, plants are often challenged to multiple extreme abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, salinity and metal stresses in the field, which reduce plant growth, productivity and yield. The development of reproductive stage is more susceptible to abiotic stresses than the vegetative stage. Anther, the male reproductive organ that generate pollen grains, is more sensitive to abiotic stresses than female organs. Abiotic stresses affect all the processes of anther development, including tapetum development and degradation, microsporogenesis and pollen development, anther dehiscence, and filament elongation. In addition, abiotic stresses significantly interrupt phytohormone, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, alter reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in anthers, which are strongly responsible for the loss of pollen fertility. At present, the precise molecular mechanisms of anther development under adverse abiotic stresses are still not fully understood. Therefore, more emphasis should be given to understand molecular control of anther development during abiotic stresses to engineer crops with better crop yield.

     

ANTHER AND POLLEN DEVELOPMENT IN RICE (ORYZA SATIVA)

Investigations of the growth of anthers and ontogeny of pollen grains of Oryza sativa (rice) IR-30 were undertaken for the purpose of 1) providing a set of growth measurements and 2) describing stable cytological features of anther and pollen development. Correlations exist between elongation of the floret and growth parameters of the anther such as its length, width, fresh and dry weights and cytological stage of pollen development. In the early ontogeny of the anther, hypodermal archesporial initials divide periclinally to form primary parietal cells and primary sporogenous cells. Each of the latter divides twice mitotically to generate four microspore mother cells, which undergo meiosis. The anther wall is formed by anticlinal and periclinal divisions of the primary parietal cells as well as of cells surrounding the primary sporogenous cells. Subsequent cytological features in the development of anther and pollen grains of rice have much in common with anther and pollen developmental biology of other members of Gramineae.     

Zm401, a short-open reading-frame mRNA or noncoding RNA, is essential for tapetum and microspore development and can regulate the floret formation in maize

In flowering plants, pollen formation depends on the differentiation and interaction of two cell types in the anther: the reproductive cells, called microsporocytes, and somatic cells that form the tapetum. Previously, we cloned a pollen specific gene, zm401, from a cDNA library generated from the mature pollen of Zea mays. Expression of partial cDNA of zm401 in maize and ectopic expression of zm401 in tobacco suggested it may play a role in anther development. Here we present the expression and functional characterization of this pollen specific gene in maize. Zm401 is expressed primarily in the anthers (tapetal cells as well as microspores) in a developmentally regulated manner. That is, it is expressed from floret forming stage, increasing in concentration up to mature pollen. Knockdown of zm401 significantly affected the expression of ZmMADS2, MZm3-3, and ZmC5, critical genes for pollen development; led to aberrant development of the microspore and tapetum, and finally male-sterility. Zm401 possesses highly conserved sequences and evolutionary conserved stable RNA secondary structure in monocotyledon. These data show that zm401 could be one of the key growth regulators in anther development, and functions as a short-open reading-frame mRNA (sORF mRNA) and/or noncoding RNA (ncRNA).     

SHOOT APEX DEVELOPMENT OF WINTER BARLEY AS INFLUENCED BY POTASSIUM GIBBERELLATE

Treatment of nonvernalized winter barley plants at early stages of growth with potassium gibberellate accelerated floral initiation and rapid development of shoot apices until after stages of anther formation. Later developmental stages were not stimulated by continued applications of potassium gibberellate or the addition of other plant growth regulators. In some cases supernumerary spikes formed at the lower rachis nodes of the main spike when potassium gibberellate was applied periodically until spike emergence.     

Asynchronous flowering and within-plant flowering diversity in wheat and the implications for crop resilience to heat

Background and Aims

Self-pollination dominates in wheat, with a small level of out-crossing due to flowering asynchrony and male sterility. However, the timing and synchrony of male and female flowering in wheat is a crucial determinant of seed set and may be an important factor affecting gene flow and resilience to climate change. Here, a methodology is presented for assessing the timing and synchrony of flowering in wheat, Triticum aestivum.

Methods

From the onset of flowering until the end of anthesis, the anther and stigma activity of each floret was assessed on the first five developing ears in potted plants grown under ambient conditions and originating from ‘Paragon’ or ‘Spark-Rialto’ backgrounds. At harvest maturity, seed presence, size and weight was recorded for each floret scored.

Key Results and Conclusions

The synchrony between pollen dehiscence and stigma collapse within a flower was dependent on its relative position in a spike and within a floret. Determined on the basis of synchrony within each flower, the level of pollination by pollen originating from other flowers reached approx. 30 % and did not change throughout the duration of flowering. A modelling exercise parameterized by flowering observations indicated that the temporal and spatial variability of anther activity within and between spikes may influence the relative resilience of wheat to sudden, extreme climatic events which has direct relevance to predicted future climate scenarios in the UK.     

QTL mapping of chromosomal regions conferring reproductive frost tolerance in barley (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum vulgare</Emphasis> L.)

Spring radiation frost is a major abiotic stress in southern Australia, reducing yield potential and grain quality of barley by damaging sensitive reproductive organs in the latter stages of development. Field-based screening methods were developed, and genetic variation for reproductive frost tolerance was identified. Mapping populations that were segregating for reproductive frost tolerance were screened and significant QTL identified. QTL on chromosome 2HL were identified for frost-induced floret sterility in two different populations at the same genomic location. This QTL was not associated with previously reported developmental or stress-response loci. QTL on chromosome 5HL were identified for frost-induced floret sterility and frost-induced grain damage in all three of the populations studied. The locations of QTL were coincident with previously reported vegetative frost tolerance loci close to the vrn-H1 locus. This locus on chromosome 5HL has now been associated with response to cold stress at both vegetative and reproductive developmental stages in barley. This study will allow reproductive frost tolerance to be seriously pursued as a breeding objective by facilitating a change from difficult phenotypic selection to high-throughput genotypic selection.     

Barley spikelet culture: An effective tool for the analysis of biochemical events in flower development

Immature detached barley spikelets were cultured in wheat spikelet medium. Fertility of cultured barley spikelets was similar to that of cultured wheat spikelets. Barley anther development within cultured spikelets was retarded relative to in planta, but viability of developing pollen, as determined by a fluorochromatic reaction, was similar in vitro and in planta. Protein synthesis by anthers in developing barley spikelets in vitro was maximal during stage 2, when pollen grains were bicellular, and declined as pollen matured. Barley spikelet culture is an effective tool for the analysis of biochemical events in flower development.Abbreviations FRC fluorochromatic reaction - WSM wheat spikelet medium     

非生物胁迫影响水稻颖花育性机理的研究进展

本文从颖花发育的形态学和生理学角度,综述了水稻穗分化期至抽穗开花期非生物胁迫导致颖花不育的机理,旨在揭示非生物胁迫导致水稻颖花败育的关键过程及其内在联系.颖花是否可育主要与绒毡层细胞行为、花药开裂与散粉、花粉萌发、受精4个关键过程有关,胁迫通过影响这些关键过程,导致颖花不育.花药发育早期异常变化影响生殖细胞发育与授粉作用.可以通过喷施外源物质或增施硅肥等方法减缓非生物胁迫对颖花育性的伤害.今后需要加强交叉胁迫对颖花育性的影响、不同胁迫对花器官形态结构和生理特性的影响、不同水稻品种对胁迫的响应差异,以及胁迫影响花器官发育的分子生物学机制等方面的研究.     

Cytological analysis and genetic control of rice anther development

Microsporogenesis and male gametogenesis are essential for the alternating life cycle of flowering plants between diploid sporophyte and haploid gametophyte generations.Rice (Oryza sativa) is the world's major staple food,and manipulation of pollen fertility is particularly important for the demands to increase rice grain yield.Towards a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling rice male reproductive development,we describe here the cytological changes of anther development through 14 stages,including cell division,differentiation and degeneration of somatic tissues consisting of four concentric cell layers surrounding and supporting reproductive cells as they form mature pollen grains through meiosis and mitosis.Furthermore,we compare the morphological difference of anthers and pollen grains in both monocot rice and eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana.Additionally,we describe the key genes identified to date critical for rice anther development and pollen formation.     

Rapid Swelling of Pollen Grains in the Dehiscing Anther of Two-rowed Barley (Hordeum distichum L. emend. LAM .)

The role of rapid swelling of pollen grains in anther dehiscencein Hordeum distichum L. emend. L AM. and the mechanism of thisswelling were examined. Artificial opening of the floret inducedrapid swelling of pollen grains and thecae dehiscence. The thecadehisced as pollen grains became swollen and dehisced anthershad larger pollen grains than indehisced anthers. Septa in theanther segments dehisced as a result of water-induced pollenpressure. These results strongly support the theory that therapid swelling of pollen grains is a driving force for antherdehiscence. On the other hand, potassium was detected in pollengrains from dehisced anthers, but not in pollen grains in indehiscedanthers. This suggests that potassium ions function as a turgorregulator in the rapid swelling of pollen grains. The mechanismof anther dehiscence is discussed in relation to the swellingof pollen grains, as is the possible mechanism of this swelling.Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Anther dehiscence, Hordeum distichum L. emend. L AM., pollen swelling, potassium ion, two-rowed barley     

植物细胞核雄性不育基因研究进展

植物雄性不育既是研究植物生殖生物学重要的植物学性状也是研究作物杂种优势利用重要的农艺性状,在遗传和分子生物学中具有重要地位。以模式植物拟南芥和水稻为主,对植物雄性不育的控制基因和相关分子机理已有众多进展,按照花药发育时期和雄性败育的表现形式可以归纳为减数分裂异常、胼胝质代谢异常、绒毡层发育异常、花粉壁发育异常、花药开裂异常,以及其它类型的雄性不育。在不育相关基因中,导致胼胝质代谢异常、绒毡层发育异常和花粉壁发育异常的基因往往表现一因多效,一个相关基因的突变会产生复合表型。关于植物雄性不育相关基因的研究表明,雄性器官和小孢子形成过程中的任何相关基因的改变,均可导致雄性不育的产生。本文总结了植物核基因雄性不育的研究进展,以期促进不同物种间雄性不育基因的比较分析,使植物雄性不育研究更加深入。     

Cytological development and sesquiterpene lactone secretion in capitate glandular trichomes of sunflower

The secretion of sesquiterpene lactones (STL) in capitate glandular trichomes from the anther appendages of Helianthus annuus L. (Asteraceae) was observed by light and fluorescence microscopy and HPLC analysis. Disk flowers within the sunflower capitulum showed the known ontogenetic progression from the centre to the margin. During development of the florets, the trichomes in the anther appendages secreted their metabolites into the subcuticular secretion storage space in front of the two apical cells. All stages of forming the cuticular globe, from the pre-secretory to the post-secretory phase, could be observed microscopically and secretory activity was simultaneously monitored. Six germacrolides and heliangolides of known structure were selected for quantitative analysis. The increase in STL content during extension of the subcuticular space was monitored by HPLC analysis. Thereby, the start and termination of STL biosynthesis was defined in relation to other developmental stages of floret ontogenesis, particularly, the pollen formation. Part of the secreted material showed autofluorescence which could be attributed to a hydroxy-trimethoxy-flavone, as determined by NMR and mass spectroscopy. The anther trichomes were cytologically and chemically similar to foliar glandular trichomes of sunflower and represent the multicellular capitate glandular trichome type common to many Asteraceae. The ease with which anther trichomes of H. annuus can be harvested and analyzed suggests that they can provide a valuable model system for investigation of STL and flavonoid metabolism in Asteraceae.