As the result of intensive research and breeding efforts over the last 20 years, the yield potential and yield quality of cereals have been greatly improved. Nowadays, yield safety has gained more importance because of the forecasted climatic changes. Drought and high temperature are especially considered as key stress factors with high potential impact on crop yield. Yield safety can only be improved if future breeding attempts will be based on the valuable new knowledge acquired on the processes determining plant development and its responses to stress. Plant stress responses are very complex. Interactions between plant structure, function and the environment need to be investigated at various phases of plant development at the organismal, cellular as well as molecular levels in order to obtain a full picture. The results achieved so far in this field indicate that various plant organs, in a definite hierarchy and in interaction with each other, are involved in determining crop yield under stress. Here we attempt to summarize the currently available information on cereal reproduction under drought and heat stress and to give an outlook towards potential strategies to improve yield safety in cereals.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01727.x

The effect of drought and heat stress on reproductive processes in cereals.

Molecular and biochemical impacts of environmental factors on wheat grain development and protein synthesis

The low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits of wheat gluten.

Effect of temperature on expression of genes encoding enzymes for starch biosynthesis in developing wheat endosperm

Temperature, Water and Fertilizer Influence the Timing of Key Events During Grain Development in a US Spring Wheat

The accumulation of transcripts for the major gluten storage proteins was assessed during grain development in wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Butte 86’) grown under seven controlled environments where temperature, water, and fertilizer conditions were varied after anthesis. Transcripts within the α-, γ- and ω-gliadin, low molecular weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS), and high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) gene families followed similar patterns of accumulation throughout grain development under each environmental regimen. Under moderate daytime temperatures in plants that were well watered and fertilized, transcripts from all gene families were detectable by eight days postanthesis (8 DPA), were present at high levels until ≈34 DPA, and disappeared between 36 and 38 DPA. Under high temperature regimens, transcripts from all gene families appeared slightly earlier, but the time frame of accumulation was shorter. The presence or absence of postanthesis fertilizer did not alter the t...

Dao Lieu

Papers

Environmental Conditions During Wheat Grain Development Alter Temporal Regulation of Major Gluten Protein Genes