Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410409
Research Project: Development of Climate Resilient Germplasm and Management Tools for Sustainable Row Crop Production

Location: Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research

Title: Impacts of heat stress on sorghum seed development in sorghum

Author
item Chen, Junping
item KHAN, ADIL - Texas Tech University
item TIAN, RAN - Texas Tech University
item Xin, Zhanguo
item JIAO, YINPING - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2023
Publication Date: 1/15/2024
Citation: Chen, J., Khan, A., Tian, R., Xin, Z., Jiao, Y. 2024. Impacts of heat stress on sorghum seed development in sorghum. Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Normal seed development after pollination is one of the major factors for grain yield in cereal crops. Heat stress that occurs post anthesis can greatly affect seed development and grain filling, reducing seed number per panicle and seed size, hence causing significant yield loss. In this study, we investigated the impacts of moderate (35°C) and severe (40°C) heat stress on sorghum seed development at eight different seed development stages, from 2 to 24 days post-anthesis (dpa). The seed number and seed weight/size were compared with those of normal controls. Gene expressions in stress-treated developing seeds were compared with seeds under normal conditions by whole genome RNA sequencing. The kinetic changes in gene expressing patterns over time were analyzed. The results showed that the embryo abortion and the decrease in seed size in heat treated sorghum panicles were closely associated with the heat-induced changes in expression of key genes in protein, starch, and lipid biosynthetic pathways. The result of this study provides essential knowledge for understanding the dynamic regulations of seed development under normal and heat stressed conditions in sorghum.