Physiological Comparison of Wheat and Maize Seedlings Responses to Water Stresses

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate specific responses of spring wheat (C3 photosynthesis) and maize (C4 photosynthesis) to drought and flooding stress. Analyses of water content, gas exchange intensity, photosynthetic apparatus activity, chlorophyll content, plant height and biological membrane integrity were performed on the 10th day of drought and flooding in both species at the third leaf stage. A specific response of wheat under both drought and flooding conditions involved an increase in ETo/RC ratio, describing electron transport flux converted into a single reaction center in PSII. Correlations between electrolyte leakage and the probability of electron transport beyond the plastoquinone QA, and the amount of energy used for the electron transport were also found. A specific response of maize during flooding was the increase of stomatal conductance. Additionally, a significant correlation between PN/Ci and relative water content was exhibited. Furthermore, the parameters differentiating the studied species only under stressful conditions were rendered. The application of such parameters can be widely used, e.g., for studying the reaction of a potential cultivars to drought and flooding. Providing such information to potential farmers can help better select cultivars for their environmental conditions.

Changes in physio-biochemical parameters and expression of metallothioneins in Avena sativa L. in response to drought

“…The ability to retain stability of cell membrane under drought stress is one of the key physiological indices widely used to evaluate the drought tolerance of plants 93 . Measurements of relative water content (RWC), water loss (WL), electrolyte leakage (EL), and photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE) are parameters frequently used as a selection test for the assessment of plant cultivar tolerance to various stresses 94 – 97 .…”

Comparison of Juvenile Development of Maize and Sorghum in Six Temperate Soil Types under Extreme Water Regimes

“…Several studies have shown that sorghum has a yield advantage over maize under dry field conditions [28,29], while flooding reduces the leaf area, plant height, and leaf expansion rate in maize [27,30] and sorghum [31][32][33] as well. Furthermore, it is well known that sorghum is less soil-sensitive than maize and that it can be grown in almost any type of soil [34].…”

The Physiological Responses of Wheat and Maize Seedlings Grown under Water Deficit Are Modulated by Pre-Application of Auxin-Type Plant Growth Regulators

“…By process-based crop models, Webber et al [ 22 ] predicted that drought will cause higher yield losses for maize than for wheat. Recently, Ostrowska and Hura [ 23 ] selected quick photosynthetical parameters for the evaluation of the reactions to water stress (including drought) of maize and wheat which are possessing C4 and C3 type of photosynthesis, respectively.…”