Comparison of Growth Rates and Sugar and Protein Concentrations of the Extension Zone of Main Shoot and Tiller Leaves of Wheat

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Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine, for wheat plants growing in an irrigated, well fertilized crop, whether there were any differences in leaf growth rates and sugar and protein concentrations of the extension zone between leaves on the main shoot and those on the first two primary tillers. High nitrogen supply was used to accentuate any basic differences that may exist and to ensure minimum carbohydrate concentrations. Final leaf length, leaf extension rates, the responsiveness of leaf extension to temperature, and the sugar and protein concentrations of the extension zone did differ between successive leaves on a shoot but the values for these parameters were similar for leaves growing on separate shoots at the same time. These results were consistent with the assumptions that the growth of tiller leaves was integrated with the activity of the main shoot and that there were no basic physiological differences between the leaves on the separate shoots. The differences in growth rates between leaves with time were not related to hexose concentrations. The variation in protein concentrations was less than recorded previously and insufficient to establish a significant relationship with leaf growth rates.