Translocation of 14C-sucrose within the Ear in Durum and Aestivum Wheat Varieties

Excised ears of Triticum durum (HD 4502 and B 449) and T. aestivum (Kalyansona and Kundan) varieties were cultured in ¹⁴C-sucrose, and the uptake and distribution of ¹⁴C within the ear was examined. Species-level differences in the distribution of ¹⁴C to spikelets at basal, middle and apical positions in the wheat ear (vertical distribution) were observed. T. aestivum var. Kalyansona and Kundan showed no limitation in vertical translocation of ¹⁴C-sucrose, whereas in T. durum there was a decrease in the distribution of ¹⁴C to apical spikelets. Within a spikelet, the distribution of ¹⁴C-sucrose to distal grains was significantly less than that to proximal grains in all the genotypes.