The effect of foliar application of elemental sulphur on the accumulation of protein-incorporated amino acids in developing wheat grain

Abstract

Three foliar sprays of elemental sulphur on wheat (Triticum aestivum, cv Champlein), between shooting and ear emergence, caused a reduction in the rate of accumulation of protein, and thereby, in that of any protein-incorporated amino acid, in grain at the earliest stages of development. Such treatment did not alter the relative accumulation rates of amino acids, as determined by the slopes of regression lines relating the levels of each protein-incorporated amino acid and total protein content. The relative accumulation rates were compared with those calculated from literature data concerning quantitative variations in free and protein-incorporated amino acids in mature grains from one or several cultivars grown in different environments.