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Influence of Drought Stress on Female Gametophyte Development in Corn (Zea mays L.) and Subsequent Grain Yield¹

Many abnormal embryosacs (43% of the total observed) were recorded in ears from corn plants that had been drought stressed twice over a period of 10 days during embryosac formation (treatment T3). Also, hermaphrodite spikelets were commonly observed. Yery few grains were produced by these plants. In ears of plants drought stressed once over a period of five days during embryosac formation (treatment T2), 15% of the observed embryosacs were abnorraal compared with only 2.5% in ears of the unstressed control plants. The grain yield of T2 plants was not significantly reduced. Both T2 and T3 treatments greatly delayed silking; in the former there was a lag of 13 days between anthesis and silk emergence, and 16 days in T3 as compared to 3 days in the controls. Plants were hand-pollinated to prevent sterility caused by the lack of pollen during silking, so that the large reduction in grain yield by treatment T3 was due mostly to embryosac abortion.

The surmise that femaleness of corn plants was reduced by drought stress because of a reduction in auxin levels was discussed.

Key Words: Embryosac development • Sexuality

² Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Irrgation Research, Griffith N.S.W., Australia, and Agronomist N.S.W. Department of Agriculture, seconded to CSIRO D.I.R. Griffith, Present Address: N.S.W. Dept. of Agriculture Experimental Station, Leeton, N.S.W. Australia.

Received for publication September 11, 1970.

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