Effects of Ear Removal on Photosynthesis, Carbohydrate Accumulation and on the Distribution of Assimilated 14C in Wheat

Abstract

Removal of an ear from a tiller of a wheat plant growing in the field did not result in any marked change in the net photosynthetic rate of the subtending flag leaf, even during the period when the ear would normally have received large amounts of assimilate from the flag leaf. Following ear removal, there was an increase in the amount of ethanol-soluble and ethanol-insoluble carbohydrates in the remaining organs of the tiller. ¹⁴C labelling studies showed that a new pattern of translocation was established within 2–3 days of ear removal, and the tiller exported assimilate to other tillers on the plant, and possibly to the roots.