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Related Experiment Videos

Grain yields with limited water.

J S Boyer1, M E Westgate

  • 1College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958, USA. boyer@cms.udel.edu

Journal of Experimental Botany
|August 3, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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Water deficits reduce maize grain yield by causing ovary abortion. Supplying sucrose can rescue ovaries, suggesting invertase enzyme activity is crucial for plant reproduction under drought stress.

Area of Science:

  • Plant reproductive biology
  • Plant physiology
  • Agricultural science

Background:

  • Plant reproduction is highly sensitive to water deficits, impacting crop yields.
  • Water stress can lead to irreversible developmental cessation, ovary abortion in maize, and pollen sterility in small grains.
  • Photosynthesis inhibition and reduced photosynthate flux are implicated in water deficit-induced reproductive failure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of invertase and sugar metabolism in water deficit-induced ovary abortion in maize.
  • To understand the relationship between photosynthate availability, enzyme activity, and reproductive organ development under stress.
  • To identify key genes involved in maize reproductive failure during drought.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of ovary abortion in maize under water deficit conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measurement of invertase activity and starch content in reproductive tissues.
  • Experimental stem sucrose feeding to assess rescue effects on ovary development.
  • Transcript profiling using microarrays to identify differentially expressed genes.

    • Main Results:

    • Water deficits inhibit photosynthesis and reduce photosynthate flux, triggering ovary abortion in maize.
    • Invertase activity and starch levels are diminished in water-stressed ovaries.
    • Sucrose application to stems rescues ovaries from abortion, restoring starch and invertase activity.
    • Microarray analysis identified genes regulated by water deficit, but invertase/starch gene changes in ovaries require further investigation.

    Conclusions:

    • Invertase activity is a critical limiting factor for grain yield under water deficit.
    • Sucrose availability is essential for preventing ovary abortion during drought stress in maize.
    • Further research on tissue- and developmentally specific gene expression is needed to link metabolic changes to sugar flux and reproductive failure.