Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by GAO, X.
Right arrow Articles by BENNETT, M. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by GAO, X.
Right arrow Articles by BENNETT, M. D.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by GAO, X.
Right arrow Articles by BENNETT, M. D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1992 Oxford University Press

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

Changes in Cell Number and Cell Division Activity during Endosperm Development in Allohexaploid Wheat, Triticum aestivum L.

XIAOPING GAO1, DENNIS FRANCIS1,, JOHN C. ORMROD2 and MICHAEL D. BENNETT3

1School of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Wales College of Cardiff PO Box 915, Cardiff CF1 3TL, UK
2ICI Agrochemicais, Jealott's Hill Research Station, Bracknel Berkshire RG12 6EY, UK
3Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Nuclear or cell number, and the mitotic index, were recorded in endosperms of Triticum aestivum cv. Mardler to test if a particular stage of endosperm development was critical in determining the final grain weight. The basal four florets of emasculated spikelets (controls), and the third and fourth florets of spikelets where the two basal ovaries were removed (ovary-removed), were sampled at various times up to 360 h after hand-pollination. The coenocytic phase in endosperms ended about 84 h after pollination regardless of both grain position and the treatment. The onset of the cellular stage was characterized by the final large fluctuations in the mitotic index reflecting the culmination of the synchronous nuclear division of the coenocytic stage. Thereafter, the mitotic index fluctuated with smaller amplitudes and, by 216 h after pollination, was < 1%. Neither floret position in the spikelet nor the treatment affected the pattern of alteration to the mitotic index. However, ovary removal from first and second florets resulted in significantly heavier grains and higher endosperm cell number in the 3rd and 4th florets compared with the controls. In all florets, mean endosperm cell number peaked at 280 h but decreased by 360 h after pollination. At this time, the mean cell numbers in endosperms of the 3rd and 4th florets of ovary-removed spikelets were significantly higher than in the corresponding endosperms in the controls. Thus, a key contributory factor in determining the final endosperm cell number may be the number of cells which are lost during the late period of the cellular stage of endosperm development.

Key words: Endosperm cell number, florets, grain weight, mitotic index, Triticum aestivum


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
J. YANG, J. ZHANG, Z. HUANG, Z. WANG, Q. ZHU, and L. LIU
Correlation of Cytokinin Levels in the Endosperms and Roots with Cell Number and Cell Division Activity during Endosperm Development in Rice
Ann. Bot., September 1, 2002; 90(3): 369 - 377.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.