The trade-off between grain weight and grain number in wheat is explained by the overlapping of the key phases determining these major yield components.

ABSTRACT: Enhancing grain yield is a primary goal in the cultivation of major staple crops, including wheat. Recent research has focused on identifying the physiological and molecular factors that influence grain weight, a critical determinant of crop yield. However, a bottleneck has arisen due to the trade-off between grain weight and grain number, whose underlying causes remain elusive. In a novel approach, a wheat expansin gene, TaExpA6, known for its expression in root tissues, was engineered to express in the grains of the spring wheat cultivar Fielder. This modification led to increases in both grain weight and yield without adversely affecting grain number. Conversely, a triple mutant line targeting the gene TaGW2, a known negative regulator of grain weight, resulted in increase

SUBMITTER: Vicentin L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11196766 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature