Morphological and physiological responses of different wheat genotypes to chilling stress: a cue to explain yield loss

Abstract BACKGROUND The eco‐physiological mechanism of wheat yield loss resulting from chilling stress is a fundamental scientific issue. However, previous studies have focused on hexaploid wheats, and few studies on the morphological and physiological plasticity of wheat plants. Six different wheat genotypes were tested under chilling stress to investigate the physio‐morphological parameters as well as the loss of grain yield in growth chambers. RESULTS Chilling stress resulted in significant loss in grain yield in all genotypes. Under chilling stress, diploid wheats generated zero harvest, and tetraploid genotypes also suffered from a pronounced loss in grain yield, compared with the control group. In contrast, hexaploid genotypes acquired relatively high maintenance rate of grain yield among three species. CONCLUSIONS Diploid and tetraploid wheat genotypes maintained relatively large leaf area and high photosynthetic rates, but they were subjected to significant declines in vascular bundle number and productive tillers as a consequence of the inhibition by sink growth under chilling stress. The hexaploid wheats were found to have relatively low leaf area and photosynthetic rates. These genotypes also stored more soluble carbohydrates and exhibited stronger sink enhancement, ensuring the translocation and redistribution of assimilates. Our findings provided a new theoretical understanding of yield stabilization in the domestication process of wheat genotypes under chilling stress. © 2017 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry