Characteristics of Grain Filling and Dehydration in Wheat

【Objective】The characteristic of grain filling and dehydration in wheat was studied, which provided a selection method and a theoretical basis for breeding wheat variety with fast filling and dehydration, and its grain with safety moisture content without drying process at harvesting date. 【Method】 In 2015 and 2016, 7 main wheat varieties in the middle and lower of the Yangtze River Valley were used as tested materials. The grain filling traits, dehydration rate and grain moisture content at physiological maturity and harvest date were measured to explore their profiles by Logistic Growth Equation (LGE) fitting analysis and multiple comparison and correlation coefficient method. 【Result】 The results indicated that grain-filling of 7 varieties fitted LGE best, with an S-like breakthrough curve of slow-fast-slow trend, but there were significant differences in the maximum grain-filling rate, average grain-filling rate and grain-filling duration in different varieties. The maximum grain-filling rates and average grain-filling rates of Yangmai 11, Yangmai 158 and Yangmai 16 were higher, whose dry grain weights at 30 d after anthesis were more than 35 g and the grain-filling durations were shorter; The grain filling rate of Yangmai 15 was the fourth fastest, but the grain-filling duration was the longest among the 7 wheat genotypes; Ningmai 13, Yangmai 20 and Yangmai 22 had the smaller filling rates, respectively. The maximum grain-filling rate, average grain-filling rate, R1, R2 and R3 were significantly positively correlated with 1000-grain weight. The rate of grain filling was R2>R1>R3 in the three filling stages. The filling grain of wheat was basically finished at 30 d after anthesis. After the grain filling stage, it started the dehydration and drying stage. There were significant differences among the 7 genotypes in the grain moisture content at physiological maturity and harvest date, as well as the grain dehydration rate. The grain dehydration rates of Yangmai 11, Yangmai 158 and Yangmai 16 were higher than the others, whereas Yangmai15 was the lowest. The grain moisture content at harvest date was significantly (P<0.01, 0.05) correlated with the grain moisture content at physiological maturity date, the average dehydration rate after physiological maturity, and the grain dehydration rate at 2 d after physiological maturity.【Conclusion】In Yangmai 11, Yangmai 158 and Yangmai 16, the grain-filling was faster and completed earlier, and the grain dehydrated more quickly. The grain weight >35 g at 30 d after anthesis could be used as the selection parameter of the grain-filling rate. The average grain dehydration rate after physiological maturity could be a selection parameter that evaluates the dehydration property of wheat.