Analysis of Durum Wheat Response To Nitrogen Starvation

Wheat is one of the most important crops worldwide and, as for other crops, production is highly dependent on the input of fertilizers. Among them, nitrogen is particularly important because it is a key component of many macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids and is essential for normal growth and development of plants. Crop yield and many quality aspects of wheat derived products (e.g. bread, pasta) are related to the protein composition, and therefore to nitrogen availability. Modern breeding is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms regulating the assimilation, utilization, and remobilization of nitrogen and the way how plants can sense and translate environmental stimuli, such as nitrogen starvation, and activate subsequent adaptive responses. In the present work, two durum wheat genotypes, Svevo and Ciccio, were grown in a hydroponic system in nitrogen starvation conditions (0mM of NO 3 ) and in normal conditions (2mM of NO 3 ). Phenotypic analysis performed on both varieties at different growth stages (Z14, and Z77) revealed in all stages and for both varieties significant differences for some parameters directly involved in plant yield such as primary roots length, number of culms per plant, plant height, flag leaf area, number of spike per plant, and number of spikelets per spike. Moreover roots, leaves and spikes of both varieties at different growth stages were collected and the microRNAs involved in the nitrogen regulatory pathway and their function will be analyzed.