Gene dosage tweaks could unlock stronger wheat roots, boosting crop yields
Researchers have identified how varying amounts of a specific plant gene affect root development in wheat, a finding that could help breeders engineer more resilient crops. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, offers a potential lever for improving agricultural productivity as climate pressures intensify global food security concerns.
Originaltitel: Dosage differences in <i>12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE</i> genes modulate wheat root growth
Wheat is an essential crop for global food security and is well adapted to a wide variety of soils 1 . However, the gene networks regulating different root architectures remain poorly understood. We report here the identification of a cluster of a monocot-specific 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes from subfamily III ( OPRIII ) that modulate key differences in wheat root architecture associated with grain yield under water-limited conditions. Wheat plants with a loss-of-function mutation in OPRIII showed longer seminal roots, whereas plants with increased OPRIII dosage or transgenic over-expression showed reduced seminal root growth, precocious development of lateral roots and increased jasmonic acid (JA). A JA-biosynthesis inhibitor eliminated the root differences, confirming a JA-mediated mechanism. Multiple transcriptome analysis of transgenic and wild-type lines revealed significant enriched JA-biosynthetic and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways that paralleled changes in ROS distribution. The OPRIII genes provide a useful entry point to engineer root architecture in wheat and other cereals.