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CROP PHYSIOLOGY & METABOLISM

Sensitivity of Wheat and Rice to Low Levels of Atmospheric Ethylene

Crop Physiology Laboratory, Dep. of Plants, Soils and Biometeorology, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-4820

* Corresponding author (bugbee{at}cc.usu.edu)

Ethylene (C₂H₄) gas is produced throughout the life cycle of plants and can accumulate in closed growth chambers to levels 100 times higher than in outside environments. Elevated atmospheric C₂H₄ can cause a variety of abnormal responses, but the sensitivity to elevated C₂H₄ is not well characterized. We evaluated the C₂H₄ sensitivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) in five studies. The first three studies compared the effects of continuous C₂H₄ levels ranging from 0 to 1000 nmol mol^-1 (ppb) in a growth chamber throughout the life cycle of the plants. A short-term 1000 nmol mol^-1 treatment was included in which exposure was stopped at anthesis. Yield was reduced by 36% in wheat and 63% in rice at 50 nmol mol^-1 and both species were virtually sterile when continuously exposed to 1000 nmol mol^-1. However, the yield reductions were much less with exposure that stopped at anthesis, suggesting the detrimental effect of C₂H₄ on yield was greatest around the time of seed set. Two additional studies evaluated the differential sensitivity of two wheat cultivars (Super Dwarf and USU-Apogee) to 50 nmol mol^-1 C₂H₄ at three CO₂ levels [350, 1200, 5000 µmol mol^-1 (ppm)] in a greenhouse. Yield of USU-Apogee was not significantly reduced by C₂H₄ but the yield of Super Dwarf was reduced by 60%. Elevated CO₂ did not influence the sensitivity to C₂H₄. A difference in the C₂H₄ sensitivity of USU-Apogee between greenhouse and growth chamber trials suggests that C₂H₄ sensitivity is dependent on the environment. Collectively, the data suggest that relatively low levels of C₂H₄ could induce anomalous plant responses by accumulation in greenhouses and growth chambers with inadequate ventilation. The data also suggest that C₂H₄ sensitivity can be reduced by both genetic and environmental manipulations.

Abbreviations: DW, dry weight • HI, harvest index • PPF, photosynthetic photon flux

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. M. Frantz, D. Pinnock, S. Klassen, and B. Bugbee Characterizing the Environmental Response of a Gibberellic Acid-Deficient Rice for Use as a Model Crop Agron. J., July 1, 2004; 96(4): 1172 - 1181. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]