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Reducing brassinosteroid signalling enhances grain yield in semi-dwarf wheat.
Long Song1, Jie Liu1, Beilu Cao1
1Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Nature
|April 26, 2023
Summary
New wheat varieties achieve semi-dwarf stature and higher yields without traditional Reduced height (Rht) genes. A natural deletion enhances plant architecture and nitrogen use, offering a sustainable strategy for wheat production.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics and breeding
- Crop physiology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Modern wheat relies on Reduced height (Rht)-B1b and Rht-D1b alleles for semi-dwarf architecture, but these repress growth and reduce nitrogen efficiency.
- Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b alleles often lead to smaller grains and increased nitrogen fertilizer requirements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop semi-dwarf wheat varieties without Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b alleles.
- To identify alternative genetic strategies for improving wheat plant architecture and yield.
Main Methods:
- Investigated a natural haploblock deletion encompassing Rht-B1 and ZnF-B genes.
- Conducted genetic analysis to understand the role of ZnF-B in plant height and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling.
- Evaluated plant architecture and grain yield in field trials.
Main Results:
- A natural deletion of a 500 kb haploblock, including Rht-B1 and ZnF-B, resulted in semi-dwarf wheat with improved plant architecture.
- This deletion led to a substantial grain yield increase (up to 15.2%) without Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b alleles.
- ZnF-B loss stabilizes TaBKI1, attenuating BR perception and inducing semi-dwarfism.
Conclusions:
- Identified ZnF-B as a key modulator of brassinosteroid signaling in wheat.
- Demonstrated a novel strategy for breeding high-yield semi-dwarf wheat by manipulating BR signaling.
- This approach offers a sustainable pathway to enhance wheat production without compromising grain quality or nitrogen efficiency.
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