Abstract
The oat × maize chromosome addition (OMA) lines, as hybrids between C3 and C4 plants, can potentially help us understand the process of C4 photosynthesis. However, photosynthesis is often affected by adverse environmental conditions, including drought stress. Therefore, to assess the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus in OMA lines under drought stress, the chlorophyll content and chlorophyll a fluorescence (CF) parameters were investigated. With optimal hydration, most of the tested OMA lines, compared to oat cv. Bingo, showed higher pigment content, and some of them were characterized by increased values of selected CF parameters. Although 14 days of drought caused a decrease of chlorophylls and carotenoids, only slight changes in CF parameters were observed, which can indicate proper photosynthetic efficiency in most of examined OMA lines compared to oat cv. Bingo. The obtained data revealed that expected changes in hybrid functioning depend more on the specific maize chromosome and its interaction with the oat genome rather than the number of retained chromosomes. OMA lines not only constitute a powerful tool for maize genomics but also are a source of valuable variation in plant breeding, and can help us to understand plant susceptibility to drought. Our research confirms more efficient functioning of hybrid photosynthetic apparatus than oat cv. Bingo, therefore contributes to raising new questions in the fields of plant physiology and biochemistry. Due to the fact that the oat genome is not fully sequenced yet, the mechanism of enhanced photosynthetic efficiency in OMA lines requires further research.
Highlights
Oat (Avena sativa L. 2n = 6x = 42) and maize (Zea mays L. 2n = 2x = 20) are the most remotely related plant species of which we are aware that can be sexually hybridized and produce stable fertile partial hybrids [1]
oat × maize chromosome addition (OMA) lines obtained by crossing oat with maize were identified by the PCR product (500 bp) amplified with primers specific for the maize retrotransposon Grande-1 (GenBank Accession No X97604; [2])
Our studies have revealed the complexity of interspecific hybrid functioning and some of the consequences of preserving alien chromosome(s)
Summary
The presence of maize chromosome(s) often leads to morphological (e.g., thickened shoots, straight leaf blade, bent panicle) and physiological (e.g., disturbed panicle development and chlorophyll synthesis) abnormalities, the nature of which depends on the specific maize chromosome and oat genotype [9]. Their impact on the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus is postulated, as well as the increased tolerance of the OMA lines to environmental factors, e.g., corona rust [11]
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