
%0 Journal Article
%A Goggin, Danica E. 
%A Setter, Tim L. 
%T Fructosyltransferase activity and fructan accumulation during development in wheat exposed to terminal drought
%J Functional Plant Biology
%D 2004/01/22
%V 31
%N 1
%P 11-21
%K carbohydrates, drought, fructans, fructosyltransferase, wheat.
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/FP03123
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/FP03123 
%X Fructans act as storage carbohydrates in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) stems, and published data indicate that these can account for up to 70% or more of grain dry matter under conditions of drought. The activity of enzymes involved in fructan synthesis (fructosyltransferases) in wheat was measured during development of three high-yielding wheat cultivars (cvv. Kauz, Westonia and Attila A) exposed to rainfed conditions, and one cultivar (cv. Westonia) exposed to irrigated conditions. Fructan concentration was on average 2.5-fold higher in the stems of rainfed wheat compared with irrigated samples, but average fructosyltransferase activity was similar in both. There was a weak positive correlation (r2=0.35&#8211;0.38) between fructan concentration and fructosyltransferase activity across development in the stems of both rainfed and irrigated wheat. Soon after anthesis, 31% of accumulated fructans in rainfed Westonia stems were located in the penultimate internode, although fructosyltransferase activity was five times higher in the bottom two internodes than the penultimate internode. 
