Distribution of Na , Cl- and nutrients among tillers in contrasting wheat cultivars under saline conditions

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Yuncai Hu
• Subject Area: Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology
• Term: from 2004 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5421816

Salinity poses serious problems to agriculture worldwide. Under saline conditions, reduction in wheat yield is highly dependent upon the reduction in tillering. Since yield in mainspike is much less reduced as compared with that in other spikes by salinity, the mainstem tiller in wheat is probably more tolerant to salinity. Exclusion of salt from mainstem is one of the major strategies for salt tolerance. Our hypothesis is that mainstem tiller may exclude salt into subtillers as a stratgegy for increasing its salt tolerance. To identify whether there is higher transport of salt into subtillers than into mainstem tillers, the relations of salt and inorganic nutrients between mainstem tillers and subtillers will be investigated. Subtillers will be suppressed or stimulated by supplying the different levels of nitrogen, by using uniculm and multiculm genotypes, by removing subtiller buds, and by applying ABA. To further understand the mechanism of salt distribution in mainstem tillers and subtillers, the phloem transport of salt among the tillers will be studied, and contrasting cultivars of wheat will be used.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Urs Schmidhalter