Accumulation of starch in wheat grain under different shoot/root temperatures during maturation

The impact of high temperatures on accumulation of starch in the grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is usually attributed to direct effects of the stress on the enzymes involved. However, roots are extremely sensitive to temperatures that can be as high as those experienced by the shoots, and their role in whole-plant responses should be considered. Wheat (cv. Len) was grown at 15/15, 30/15, 15/30, and 30/30˚C shoot/root temperatures during maturation, and accumulation of dry matter and N, contents of sucrose and starch, and activities of enzymes in the pathway of starch assimilation in the endosperm, were measured weekly. Dry matter and N accumulation were affected more by root than by shoot temperatures. High whole-plant temperatures (30/30˚C) accelerated linear grain growth but diminished the duration of assimilation, the contents of sucrose and starch, and the activities of the enzymes involved. The effects of high root temperature (15/30˚C) resembled those of high whole-plant temperature, whereas low root temperature (30/15˚C) tended to ameliorate them. Sucrose synthase and soluble starch synthase were affected more than the other enzymes by high shoot and/or root temperature. However, treatments that caused the lowest activities resulted in the fastest, but briefest, linear rates of grain growth. We concluded that shoots and roots interact in the response of wheat to high temperature, and that stress on both organs affects accumulation of starch in grain.