Phosphorus application enhances floret development and grain formation, stabilizing wheat yield under drought stress through improved photosynthetic performance and nutrient accumulation

作者：Yanyan Zhang, Yahui Li, Jiahao Liu, Jianzhao Duan, Liyan He, Gege Hou, Yonghua Wang, Wei Feng, Chenyang Wang, Tiancai Guo · 发表于：Journal of Integrative Agriculture · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jia.2025.11.038 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology、Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism、Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement

1. Phosphorus application alleviates drought stress by increasing grain number and stabilizing yield. 2. Phosphorus application regulates floret development in inferior spikelets, enhancing the formation of fertile florets. 3. Phosphorus increases grain number by modulating photosynthetic performance and nutrient accumulation. Phosphorus application mitigates drought stress and promotes wheat spike and floret differentiation and development; however, the mechanisms by which phosphorus regulates floret-to-grain transition under drought stress to maintain stable yield remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the nutritional and physiological mechanisms through which phosphorus application enhances floret development and grain setting, thereby reducing the adverse effects of drought stress in field-grown wheat. Three water regimes (W0, severe drought; W1, moderate drought; W2, well-watered) and two phosphorus levels (P0, no phosphorus application; P1, standard phosphorus application) were applied using two wheat varieties—large-spike Zhoumai 16 (V1) and multi-spike Yumai 49-198 (V2)—over two growing seasons (2020–2022) under field conditions. The experiment systematically assessed the impact of phosphorus on fertile floret dynamics, leaf photosynthetic characteristics, and nutrient uptake and translocation across different water treatments. Results indicated that drought stress inhibited leaf photosynthetic traits in both varieties, impairing aboveground dry matter producti...