The Effect on Wheat Grain Growth of the Removal or ABA Treatment of Glumes and Lemmas

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Abstract
When the glumes and lemmas were removed from wheat spikelets during the main grain filling period the uptake of sucrose into the subtended grains was reduced in a few hours, but the ability to synthesize starch was not affected for several days, by which time a marked loss of water content had occurred. When the deglumed ears were covered to maintain high humidity, the grains had a weight and water content similar to those from unprotected deglumed ears. The application of ABA to the glumes occasionally had a small short-term effect on the uptake of sucrose into the grain, but there were no long-term effects on dry matter accumulation despite increased glume senescence. When the glume and lemma were removed shortly after anthesis the subtended grain grew much less than grains from intact florets, with fewer and smaller aleurone cells. The removal of the lemma from the third floret of the spikelet had a similar effect on the third grain, which could be partly reversed by removal of the grains in the lower florets. The role of the glumes and lemmas in grain development is discussed in the light of these results.