The development of crop varieties that are resistant to lodging is a top priority for breeding programmes. Herein, we characterize the rye mutant ´Stabilstroh’ (‘stable straw’) possessing an exceptional combination of high lodging resistance, tall posture and high biomass production. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging displayed the 3-dimensional assembly of vascular bundles in stem. A higher number of vascular bundles and a higher degree of their incline were the features of lodging-resistant versus lodging-prone lines. Histology and electron microscopy revealed that stems are fortified by a higher proportion of sclerenchyma and thickened cell walls, as well as some epidermal invaginations. Biochemical analysis using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry further identified elevated levels of lignin, xylan, zinc and silicon as features associated with high lodging resistance. Combined effects of above features caused superior culm stability. A simplistic mathematical model showed how mechanical forces distribute within the stem under stress. Main traits of the lodging-resistant parental line were heritable and could be traced back to the genetic structure of the mutant. Evaluation of lodging-resistant wheat ‘Babax’ (‘Baviacora’) versus contrasting, lodging-prone, genotype ´Pastor´ agreed with above findings on rye. Our findings on mechanical stability and extraordinary culm properties may be important for breeders for the improvement of lodging resistance of tall posture cereal crops.

中文翻译：

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黑麦和小麦抗倒伏机制的多尺度比较研究

开发抗倒伏的作物品种是育种计划的重中之重。在这里，我们描述了黑麦突变体“Stabilstroh”（“稳定的稻草”）具有高抗倒伏性、高姿态和高生物量生产的特殊组合。核磁共振成像显示了茎中维管束的 3 维组装。维管束数量多、倾斜度高是抗倒伏线与易倒伏线的特征。组织学和电子显微镜显示，茎被更高比例的硬化组织和增厚的细胞壁以及一些表皮内陷强化。使用傅里叶变换红外光谱和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱的生化分析进一步确定了木质素、木聚糖、锌和硅的水平升高是与高抗倒伏性相关的特征。上述特征的综合影响导致了优越的秆稳定性。一个简单的数学模型显示了机械力如何在压力下在茎内分布。抗倒伏亲本系的主要性状是可遗传的，可以追溯到突变体的遗传结构。抗倒伏小麦'Babax' ('Baviacora') 与对比的、易倒伏的基因型'Pastor' 的评估同意上述黑麦研究结果。