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Acta Agron Sin ›› 2017, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (11): 1603-1610.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2017.01603

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING · GERMPLASM RESOURCES · MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Growth Regulation and the Mechanism of Propiconazole in Maize Seedlings

HAO Ling,XING Jia-Peng,DUAN Liu-Sheng,ZHANG Ming-Cai*,LI Zhao-Hu   

  1. Engineering Research Center of Plant Growth Regulator, Ministry of Education / Department of Agronomy, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2017-03-07 Revised:2017-05-10 Online:2017-11-12 Published:2017-06-09
  • Contact: 张明才, E-mail: zmc1214@163.com, Tel: 010-62733049 E-mail:hao_ling2011@163.com
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the Introduction of International Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology Program (948 Program, 2011-G19).

Abstract:

Propiconazole (Pcz) has been widely used as fungistat in crop production. Meanwhile, Pcz can be used as plant growth regulator to influence plant growth. There is less study on the application of Pcz in maize. The present experiment using maize variety Zhengdan 958 was conducted to study the effect of Pcz on maize seedling growth, cell morphology and hormone signal. Pcz treatment inhibited the growth of mesocotyl and coleoptile, reduced plant height, shortened the length of sheath and leaf, and decreased leaf angle significantly. At the same time, longitudinal growth of sheath and leaf was inhibited and the shape of pulvinus cells changed from loosened rectangle type or oval type to closely spaced spindle cell. Furthermore, the GA content was reduced significantly and the expression of GA biosynthesis gene GA3ox1 was down-regulated, the expression of GA2ox5 and GA2ox8, genes involved in GA inactivation, was up-regulated, and the expression of GA biosynthesis gene GA20ox1 was up-regulated at the beginning and down-regulated later; the BR content was reduced significantly and the expression of BR biosynthesis genes CPD and DWF4 was up-regulated, which might be feedback regulated by endogenous BR levels. In addition, the expression of expansin genes EXPA4, EXPA5 and xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase genes XTH1 and XET1 was down-regulated. In conclusion, Pcz treatment can adjust the signal transduction of GA and BR, inhibit the accumulation of GA and BR, regulate the expression of EXPs and XTHs, control the cell growth, and adjust plant type of maize effectively.

Key words: Maize, Propiconazole, Brassinosteroids, Phenotype, Cellular morphology

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