The Early Stages of Grain Development in Wheat: Response to Light and Temperature in a Single Variety

For wheat plants (cv. Gabo) grown under natural daylight at a temperature of 21/16°C, increase in dry weight of the stem exceeded that of the ear for the first 10 days following anthesis. Higher temperatures (27/22°C) resulted in a greater rate of grain development, with a corresponding increase in the rate of cell division in the endosperm tissue, and a shortening of the stem growth period. Despite initial differences in the rates of cell division with variation in temperature, the final number of cells formed in an endosperm did not vary significantly between temperature treatments. Dry weight accumulation in the stem was, in contrast to the grain, highest at lower temperatures (15/10°C).