Heat Stress during Meiosis Has Lasting Impacts on Plant Growth and Reproduction in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Meiosis is the least explored stage for thermotolerance in wheat. We evaluated impact of 5 d moderate transient daily heat stress during meiosis main stem spike on physiological and grain yield traits 30 diverse wheat cultivars which vary widely tolerance sensitivity. found that a event had lasting impacts plant growth reproduction heat-sensitive, but not heat-tolerant, cultivars. Heat-tolerant maintained yield, number individual weight also total biomass treatment relative to control. Heat-sensitive responded by producing fewer smaller grains per spikelet stem, tillers, lower high temperature produced higher flag leaf chlorophyll content control than heat-tolerant first 3 treatment. There was small reduction pollen viability from 98% 96% following unrelated or Moderate did greatly reduce production viable male gametes, long-lasting negative fertilization subsequent seed heat-sensitive