LMA or vivipary? Wheat grain can germinate precociously during grain maturation under the cool conditions used to induce late maturity alpha-amylase (LMA).

Introduction: This study found that wheat () grain can germinate precociously during the maturation phase of grain development, a phenomenon called vivipary that was associated with alpha-amylase induction. Farmers receive severe discounts for grain with low falling number (FN), an indicator that grain contains sufficiently elevated levels of the starch-digesting enzyme alpha-amylase to pose a risk to end-product quality. High grain alpha-amylase can result from: preharvest sprouting (PHS)/germination when mature wheat is rained on before harvest, or from late maturity alpha-amylase (LMA) when grain experiences cool temperatures during the soft dough stage of grain maturation (Zadoks growth stage 85).

Genomic Regions Associated with Tolerance to Freezing Stress and Snow Mold in Winter Wheat.

Plants grown through the winter are subject to selective pressures that vary with each year's unique conditions, necessitating tolerance of numerous abiotic and biotic stress factors. The objective of this study was to identify molecular markers in winter wheat ( L.) associated with tolerance of two of these stresses, freezing temperatures and snow mold-a fungal disease complex active under snow cover.