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. 2018 Mar 14;8(1):4548.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22587-0.

Grain Yield, Starch Content and Activities of Key Enzymes of Waxy and Non-waxy Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Yan Zi  1   2   3 , Jinfeng Ding  1 , Jianmin Song  2 , Gavin Humphreys  3 , Yongxin Peng  1 , Chunyan Li  1 , Xinkai Zhu  1 , Wenshan Guo  4
Affiliations

Grain Yield, Starch Content and Activities of Key Enzymes of Waxy and Non-waxy Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Yan Zi et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Waxy wheat has unique end-use properties; however, its production is limited due mainly to its low grain yield compared with non-waxy wheat. In order to increase its grain yield, it is critical to understand the eco-physiological differences in grain filling between the waxy and non-waxy wheat. In this study, two waxy wheat and two non-waxy wheat cultivars were used to investigate the differences in starch-associated enzymes processes, sucrose and starch dynamics, yield components, and the final grain yield. The results indicated that the mean total grain starch and amylose content, the average 1000-kernel weight and grain yield of the waxy wheat were lower than those of the non-waxy wheat at maturity. The amylose content was significantly and positively correlated with the activity of GBSS (r = 0.80, p < 0.01). Significant positive correlation also exists among activities of AGPase, SSS, GBSS, and SBE, except for GBSS-SBE. In summary, our study has revealed that the reduced conversion of sucrose to starch in the late grain filling stage is the main cause for the low kernel weight and total starch accumulation of the waxy wheat. The reduced conversion also appears to be a factor contributing to the lower grain yield of the waxy wheat.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean maximum temperature, mean minimum temperature and total precipitate during the wheat growing season of wheat in 2012–2013 (a) and 2013–2014 (b).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Grain content of sucrose (a), total starch (b), amylose (c) and amylopectin (d) in grains between waxy and non-waxy wheats. Values followed by the same letters in each cultivar are not significantly different at p < 0.05 level. Each bar represents the SD value.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in grain accumulation of amylose (a,b), amylopectin (c,d) and total starch (e,f) in one kernel between waxy and non-waxy wheats after anthesis. Each bar represents the LSD value at p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in the accumulation rate of amylose (a,b), the amylopectin (c,d) and total starch (e,f) in one kernel between waxy and non-waxy wheats after anthesis. Each bar represents the LSD value at p < 0.05.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Changes in sucrose content (a), and SUS activity in grains between waxy and non-waxy wheats after anthesis. Each bar represents the LSD value at p < 0.05.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Changes of AGPase (a,b), GBSS (c,d), SSS (e,f) and SBE (g,h) activity in wheat grains between waxy and non-waxy wheats. Each bar represents the LSD value at p < 0.05.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Kernels per spike (a), Number of spikes (b), 1000-kernel weight (c) and grain yield (d) between waxy and non-waxy wheats. Values followed by the same letters in each cultivar are not significantly different at p < 0.05 level. Each bar represents the LSD value at p < 0.05.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Grain volume between waxy and non-waxy wheats. Values followed by the same letters in each cultivar are not significantly different at p < 0.05 level.
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References

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