Abstract
Global warming has increased the occurrence of high temperature stress in plants, including maize, resulting in decreased the grain number and yield. Previous studies indicate that heat stress mainly damages the pollen grains and thus lowered maize grain number. Other field studies have shown that heat stress after pollination results in kernel abortion. However, the mechanism by which high temperature affect grain abortion following pollination remains unclear. Hence, this study investigated the field grown heat-resistant maize variety “Zhengdan 958” (ZD958) and heat-sensitive variety “Xianyu 335” (XY335) under a seven-day heat stress treatment (HT) after pollination. Under HT, the grain numbers of XY335 and ZD958 were reduced by 10.9% ( p = 0.006) and 5.3% ( p = 0.129), respectively. The RNA sequencing analysis showed a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HT and the control in XY335 compared to ZD958. Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) genes were downregulated by heat stress, and RuBPCase activity was significantly lowered by 14.1% ( p = 0.020) in XY335 and 5.3% ( p = 0.436) in ZD958 in comparison to CK. The soluble sugar and starch contents in the grains of XY335 were obviously reduced by 26.1 and 58.5%, respectively, with no distinct change observed in ZD958. Heat stress also inhibited the synthesis of grain starch, as shown by the low activities of metabolism-related enzymes. Under HT, the expression of trehalose metabolism genes in XY335 were upregulated, and these genes may be involved in kernel abortion at high temperature. In conclusion, this study revealed that post-pollination heat stress in maize mainly resulted in reduced carbohydrate availability for grain development, though the heat-resistant ZD958 was nevertheless able to maintain growth.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Heat stress reduced XY335 grain number by 10.9%.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under HT, the grain numbers of XY335 and ZD958 were reduced by 10.9% ( p = 0.006) and 5.3% ( p = 0.129), respectively”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat stress reduced ZD958 grain number by 5.3%, without reported significance.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under HT, the grain numbers of XY335 and ZD958 were reduced by 10.9% ( p = 0.006) and 5.3% ( p = 0.129), respectively”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat produced more differential gene expression in XY335 than ZD958.
- Material
- XY335e0
- Treatment
- HTe0
- Outcome
- number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs)e0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- ZD958e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HT and the control in XY335 compared to ZD958”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat downregulated RuBPCase genes.
- Treatment
- heat stresse0
- Gene
- Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) genese0
- Outcome
- RuBPCase) genese0
- Direction
- downregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) genes were downregulated by heat stress”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
RuBPCase activity fell 14.1% in XY335 under heat.
- Material
- XY335e0
- Treatment
- Heat Stresst0
- Gene
- RuBPCasee0
- Outcome
- RuBPCase activitye0
- Direction
- lowerede0
- Value
- 14.1%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RuBPCase activity was significantly lowered by 14.1% ( p = 0.020) in XY335 and 5.3% ( p = 0.436) in ZD958 in comparison to CK”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
RuBPCase activity fell 5.3% in ZD958 under heat without reported significance.
- Material
- ZD958e0
- Treatment
- Heat Stresst0
- Gene
- RuBPCasee0
- Outcome
- RuBPCase activitye0
- Direction
- lowerede0
- Value
- 5.3%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RuBPCase activity was significantly lowered by 14.1% ( p = 0.020) in XY335 and 5.3% ( p = 0.436) in ZD958 in comparison to CK”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
XY335 grain soluble sugar content fell 26.1% under heat.
- Material
- XY335e0
- Organ / stage
- grainse0
- Treatment
- Heat Stresst0
- Outcome
- soluble sugare0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 26.1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The soluble sugar and starch contents in the grains of XY335 were obviously reduced by 26.1 and 58.5%, respectively”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
XY335 grain starch content fell 58.5% under heat.
- Material
- XY335e0
- Organ / stage
- grainse0
- Treatment
- Heat Stresst0
- Outcome
- starch contentse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 58.5%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The soluble sugar and starch contents in the grains of XY335 were obviously reduced by 26.1 and 58.5%, respectively”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZD958 grain soluble sugar and starch contents showed no distinct change.
- Material
- ZD958e0
- Treatment
- Heat Stresst0
- Outcome
- soluble sugar and starch contentse0
- Direction
- no distinct changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The soluble sugar and starch contents in the grains of XY335 were obviously reduced by 26.1 and 58.5%, respectively, with no distinct change observed in ZD958”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat inhibited grain starch synthesis.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Heat stress also inhibited the synthesis of grain starch”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat lowered activities of starch metabolism enzymes.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“low activities of metabolism-related enzymes”
t0“Heat Stress After Pollination Reduces Kernel Number in Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat upregulated trehalose metabolism genes in XY335.
- Material
- XY335e0
- Treatment
- HTe0
- Gene
- trehalose metabolism genese0
- Outcome
- expression of trehalose metabolism genese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under HT, the expression of trehalose metabolism genes in XY335 were upregulated”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Trehalose metabolism genes may contribute to heat-related kernel abortion.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these genes may be involved in kernel abortion at high temperature”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute post-pollination grain effects mainly to reduced carbohydrate availability.
- Treatment
- post-pollination heat stresse0
- Outcome
- reduced carbohydrate availability for grain developmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“post-pollination heat stress in maize mainly resulted in reduced carbohydrate availability for grain development”
Claim · model-written summary
Heat-resistant ZD958 maintained growth under heat.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the heat-resistant ZD958 was nevertheless able to maintain growth”
t0“Maize”
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