Genotypic variation in wheat in response to water stress and abscisic acid-induced accumulation of osmolytes in developing grains

Two wheat genotypes differing in water stress sensitivity (C306, relatively tolerant; HD2329, relatively susceptible) were water stressed during early grain filling by withholding water for 7 days at watery-ripe (WR) stage and examined for water status, abscisic acid (ABA) and osmolytes in grains as well as in flag leaf (FL). Both the genotypes differed significantly from each other in endogenous levels of ABA, proline, glycine betaine, total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, sucrose and potassium. The tolerant genotype showed higher content of ABA, proline, glycine betaine, total sugars, reducing sugars and had higher water content in its FL and grains than the susceptible genotype, which contained more of glycine beatine and potassium but had lower ABA and water content in its FL and grains. Although carbohydrates constituted the major amount of all the solutes, proline and glycine betaine increased manifold during stress. Exogenous application of 2 mum ABA at 5 days after anthesis to FL of stressed plants increased the endogenous content of ABA, accelerated the accumulation of osmolytes, improved the water status of FL and grains that resulted in higher grain weight, especially in the susceptible genotype. Differential response of contrasting wheat genotypes to water stress may be governed by ABA-dependent solute accumulation in grains and FL.