Whey Induced-Modifications in Growth, Photosynthetic Characteristics, Protein patterns and Water Relations of Wheat Seedlings

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of presoaking of wheat grains in cheese whey at different concentrations (0, 25, 50 and 100 %) on growth vigor of wheat seedlings and some physiological criteria. Whey treatment at 50% level induced a marked increase in shoot length, shoot fresh and dry masses and total leaf area of wheat plants as compared with control plants. On the other hand, the other used whey concentrations had no significant effect on the abovementioned criteria. In comparing to control plants, whey concentrations appeared to improve Hill activity and photosynthetic pigments and this effect depends mainly on the applied whey concentration. On the other hand, only 50% level of whey increased total 14C photoassimilates and consequently soluble and insoluble carbohydrate fractions of wheat plants as compared with control plants. Furthermore, this treatment induced noticeable increase in total carbohydrates and total nitrogen content of wheat seedlings. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of protein profile indicated that whey at 25 and 50 % levels increased protein concentrations in wheat seedlings and the effect was more elicited with 47- 89 kDa polypeptides. Moreover, all whey treatments induced new protein bands with molecular weight 5 and 33 kDa. Grain priming with 50% whey significantly increased K, Ca and P concentrations of wheat seedlings. Magnesium concentration appeared to increase in wheat with increasing whey concentration as compared with control plants. Total leaf conductivity and transpiration rate of wheat seedlings were increased in response to grain priming in cheese whey at 25 and 50% level. Conversely, whey treatment at 100% level appeared to reduce transpiration rate and total leaf conductivity. Relative water content (RWC) was greatly increased in wheat seedlings with whey treatments.