Effect of polyamines on the grain filling of wheat under drought stress

Abstract

Drought inhibits wheat grain filling. Polyamines (PAs) are closely associated with plant resistance due to drought and grain filling of cereals. However, little is known about the effect of PAs on the grain filling of wheat under drought stress. This study investigated whether and how PAs are involved in regulating wheat grain filling under drought stress. Two wheat genotypes differing in drought resistance were used, and endogenous PA levels were measured during grain filling under different water treatments. Additionally, external PAs were used, and the variation of hormone levels in grains was measured during grain filling under drought stress. The results indicated that spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) relieve the inhibition caused by drought stress, and putrescine (Put) has the opposite effect. The higher activities of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and Spd synthase in grains promotes the synthetic route from Put to Spd and Spm and notably increases the free Spd and Spm concentrations in grains, which promotes grain filling and drought resistance in wheat. The effect of PA on the grain filling of wheat under drought stress was closely related to the endogenous ethylene (ETH), zeatin (Z) + zeatin riboside (ZR) and abscisic acid (ABA). Spd and Spm significantly increased the Z + ZR and ABA concentrations and decreased the ETH evolution rate in grains, which promoted wheat grain filling under drought. Put significantly increased the ETH evolution rate, which led to excessive ABA accumulation in grains, subsequently aggravating the inhibition of drought on wheat grain filling. This means that the interaction of hormones, rather than the action of a single hormone, was involved in the regulation of wheat grain filling under drought.