Resetting of a tandem microRNA156 enables vegetative perennial growth in rice

Annual cultivated rice was domesticated from perennial wild rice, yet the genetic mechanism of perennial growth habit remains unclear. Using introgression lines of wild and cultivated rice, we identified the Endless Branches and Tillers (EBT1) locus, comprising tandem microRNA156 genes (MIR156BC). This locus is responsible for floral reversion and vegetative propagation contributing to perennial growth in wild rice. The wild rice allele EBT1^W1943 exhibits higher chromatin accessibility and lower levels of the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 to reset MIR156BC expression in tiller buds compared with the cultivated allele. Additionally, we introgressed EBT1 and prostrate growth genes PROG1 and TIG1 to generate recombinant lines exhibiting a robust perennial habit. Our findings pave the way for developing sustainable perennial rice cultivars in the future.