From individual leaf elongation to whole shoot leaf area expansion: a comparison of three Aegilops and two Triticum species.

Background And Aims: Rapid leaf area expansion is a desirable trait in the early growth stages of cereal crops grown in low-rainfall areas. In this study, the traits associated with inherent variation in early leaf area expansion rates have been investigated in two wheat species (Triticum aestivum and T. durum) and three of its wild relatives (Aegilops umbellulata, A.

Epidermal cell division and cell elongation in two Aegilops species with contrasting leaf elongation rates.

The 2-fold difference in final length of leaf number three on the main stem between the fast-growing Aegilops tauschii L. and the slow-growing Aegilops caudata L. is correlated with a difference in leaf elongation rate (LER), and not in duration of leaf elongation.