The functions of TaLAD1-A1, Rht8, and Rht-D1b in regulating leaf angle in wheat

TaGAD2 is a potential downstream effector of Rht5 in controlling wheat plant height

It is found that Rht5 reduces plant height through inhibition of cell proliferation while it promotes cell elongation during wheat stem elongation, providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of the Rht5-mediated plant height regulatory pathway and valuable gene resource for the genetic improvement of wheat plant architecture.

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Editing of Bsr-d1 and Pi21 Enhances Blast Resistance in a High-Quality Rice Maintainer Line

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food crop worldwide, and improving disease resistance is a core target in rice breeding. In this study, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to modify the coding sequence (CDS) of two susceptibility genes, Bsr-d1 and Pi21, in the elite maintainer line Gengxiang B to enhance its blast resistance. We generated Bsr-d1/Pi21 double homozygous mutants via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed significantly suppressed transcript accumulation of both target genes in the edited lines compared with the wild type Gengxiang B. Upon inoculation with Magnaporthe oryzae, multiple defense-related marker genes were markedly upregulated in the double mutants. Phenotypic assays demonstrated significantly reduced disease severity for both leaf and panicle blast in the edited lines compared with the wild type. Importantly, no statistically detectable differences were found between the double mutants and wild-type plants for key agronomic or grain quality traits. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of susceptibility loci generates genetically stable blast-resistant rice germplasm without compromising agronomic traits or grain quality, providing valuable genetic resources for future rice varietal improvement.

Molecular Mapping and CRISPR/Cas9 Validation Reveal That SlVQ10 Regulates Seed Size in Tomato

Together, the genetic and genome–editing data support SlVQ10 as the gene underlying ssm and indicate that it promotes seed size in tomato.

Genetic identification and characterization of chromosomal intervals related to flag leaf size in common wheat.

The flag leaf is a crucial component of the ideal plant architecture in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), directly influencing photosynthetic efficiency and yield. This study utilized an F6 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between the natural mutant msf, which possesses elongated and broad flag leaves, and the cultivar Chuannong 16 (CN16). A genetic linkage map constructed using a 16K SNP chip enabled the identification of 34 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flag leaf length (FLL), flag leaf width (FLW), flag leaf area (FLA), and flag leaf length-to-width ratio (FLR). Notably, major QTL QFlw.sau-MC-1A for FLW and QFla.sau-MC-1A for FLA were co-localized on chromosome 1AS, explaining 9.26-19.47% and 9.70-17.53% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. The favorable alleles from the msf parent significantly increased FLL, FLW, and FLA. A Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) marker developed from a SNP within the QTL interval was used to successfully validate the major QTL in independent populations. Pleiotropic effects showed that this locus positively influenced spike length (SL) and seven spike-related traits, including fertile florets per spike (FFS), kernel weight per spike, total florets per spike, florets per spikelet, florets in the middle spikelet, fertile florets per spikelet, and kernel weight per spikelet, but negatively influenced effective tiller number (ETN), plant height (PH), and anthesis date (AD). Cell morphologic analysis indicated that the difference in flag leaf size between msf and CN16 may be attributable to combined differences in cell morphology and cell number. Based on these results, together with the functional annotation of candidate genes in the interval, three genes putatively controlling leaf development were predicted. These findings offer valuable insights for breeding wheat varieties with ideal plant architecture.

Loss-of-function of StFKF1 delays flowering and tuberization under long-day conditions in potato

Evidence is provided suggesting that StFKF1 influences the timing of flowering and tuber initiation, as well as the expression patterns of key regulatory genes, under long-day conditions, thereby contributing to a theoretical foundation for understanding developmental transitions in this specific environmental context.

StCYP90C1 modulates plant architecture via regulating brassinosteroid biosynthesis in potato