Vernalization of Triticum vulgare (var. Rideau): Morphological and biochemical studies.

Abstract

The effect of vernalization on seedling growth of spring wheat, Triticum vulgare (var. Rideau) has been studied by observing morphological and biochemical changes in the first three leaves. Leaf length, dry weight and total protein measurements indicated that vernalization accelerated all stages of leaf development although the maximum leaf size was unaffected. The composition of the alcohol amino acid pool varied with leaf ontogeny in both untreated and vernalized plants. The most pronounced effect of vernalization was to depress the relative content of arginine which was one of the major pool constituents in untreated leaves. The concentrations of other important amino acids, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamic acid varied with the physiological age of the leaf, and vernalization did not alter this relationship. The activity of the enzyme glutamic decarboxylase was also mainly dependent on the physiological leaf age. Vernalization caused a great increase in meristematic activity of the root tip.