Pre-anthesis high temperature acclimation alleviates the negative effects of post-anthesis heat stress on stem stored carbohydrates remobilization and grain starch accumulation in wheat

The potential role of pre-anthesis high temperature acclimation in alleviating the negative effects of post-anthesis heat stress on stem stored carbohydrate remobilization and grain starch accumulation in wheat was investigated. The treatments included no heat-stress (CC), heat stress at pre-anthesis only (HC), heat at post-anthesis only (CH), and heat stress at both stages (HH). Post-anthesis heat stress decreased grain starch content, reduced the content of fructans and depressed activities of related synthesis enzymes of sucrose:sucrose fructosyltransferase and fructan:fructan fructosyltransferase. Interestingly, HH plants had significantly higher grain yield than the CH plants. In addition, post-anthesis high temperature lowered grain starch content and increased percentages of volume, number and surface area of B-type starch granules in CH and HH than in CC treatment. However, HH plants had much higher starch content, and caused less modified B-type starch granule size indicators than the CH plants. Our results indicated that, compared with the non-acclimated plants, the pre-anthesis high temperature acclimation effectively enhanced carbohydrate remobilization from stems to grains, led to less changed starch content and starch granule size distribution in grains of wheat under post-anthesis heat stress.

► Pre-anthesis high temperature acclimation (PHTA) mitigate post-anthesis heat stress.
► PHTA improves fructan accumulation in wheat stem.
► PHTA maintains grain starch accumulation and starch granule size distribution.