Modulation of Polyamines during Grain Development under Different Concentrations of Nitrogen in Wheat

Abstract

The polyamine (PAs), putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) are small aliphatic amines that ubiquitous in all living organisms. PA metabolism in higher plants is involved in both biotic and abiotic stress responses, and also influenced by nutrient deficiency. Accumulated evidence suggests that in plants the cellular titers of PAs are affected by various nitrogenous compounds. Therefore, the present study analyzed the effects of different nitrogen levels viz. recommended doses of nitrogen (RDN, 120 kg N/ha), sub-optimal N dose (RDN −25%, 90 kg N/ha) and supra-optimal N dose (RDN +25%, 150 kg N/ha) on PA metabolism in grains of six wheat genotypes at 15 days post anthesis (DPA) and 30 DPA. The activities of polyamine synthesizing enzymes (arginine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase), catabolizing (diamine oxidase, polyamine oxidase) and the PA content were increased at supra-optimal nitrogen dose as compared to RDN. Whereas at sub-optimal nitrogen dose, higher activity of polyamine catabolizing enzymes results in speeding up oxidation of various PAs to cope up with nitrogen deficiency in plant. In relation to PA content, Put was found to be higher at early stage whereas Spd and Spm were found to be higher towards mature stages of grain indicating the use of Put in grain filling process. Highly significant correlation was observed between PA metabolism, yield and nitrogen use efficiency at sub-optimal N dose as compared to supra-optimal dose.