The Growth Rate of Wheat Leaves in Relation to the Extension Zone Sugar Concentration Manipulated by Shading

The main objective of this study was to determine the relationshipbetween the relative rate of growth of emerging wheat leavesand the hexose sugar concentration of the extension zone. Shortperiods of intense shading (to 20 or 5% of full sun for up to14 d) were used to decrease hexose concentrations. Shading decreased hexose concentrations to a fraction of thatof controls and also resulted in thin and narrow leaves thatwere less in dry weight than control leaves of the same length.Shading did however increase the length of the zone of extendingtissue at the leaf base by 30%. The effect of hexose concentrations on the relative rate ofleaf growth was evaluated by determining the ratio between growthrates of shaded and control leaves. This ratio declined as hexoseconcentrations declined and the relationship was described bya rectangular hyperbola (r > 0.95, P < 0.01). Combineddata from many leaves on the main shoot and its tillers fromtwo irrigated wheat crops all conformed to the same relationship.The hexose concentrations where the ratio of growth rates washalf the maximum rate were 0.42 mg g^–1 fr. wt. for extensiongrowth and 1.74 mg g^–1 fr. wt. for dry weight growth.These values were significantly (P < 0.01) different. These results were compared with data from emerging leaves offield crops and it was concluded that hexose concentrationshad not limited leaf growth rates, the lowest values recordedbeing 2.5–3.0 mg g^–1 fr. wt. It was further suggestedas unlikely that leaf growth rates of wheat crops in the fieldwould be limited by hexose concentrations.