biostudies-literatureMa Lthe earmarked fund for China Agricultural Research SystemKey Laboratory of Superior Forage Germplasm in the Qinghai-Tibetan PlateauChongqing Science and Technology Commission Project939https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9003486biostudies-literatureUnknown11(7)Branching is one of the key determinants of plant architecture that dramatically affects crop yield. As alfalfa is the most important forage crop, understanding the genetic basis of branching in this plant can facilitate breeding for a high biomass yield. In this study, we characterized the strigolactone receptor gene <i>MsD14</i> in alfalfa and demonstrated that <i>MsD14</i> was predominantly expressed in flowers, roots, and seedpods. Furthermore, we found that <i>MsD14</i> expression could significantly respond to strigolactone in alfalfa seedlings, and its protein was located in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cytomembrane. Most importantly, transformation assays demonstrated that silencing of <i>MsD14</i> in alfalfa resulted in increased shoot branching and forage biomass. Significantly, MPlants (Basel, Switzerland)Silencing of MsD14 Resulted in Enhanced Forage Biomass through Increasing Shoot Branching in Alfalfa (<i>Medicago sativa</i> L.).PMC9003486CARS-342020-ZJ-Y03cstc2021jscx-gksbX0014Wen HMa LZhang YWang XZhou YLiu WfalseSilencing of MsD14 Resulted in Enhanced Forage Biomass through Increasing Shoot Branching in Alfalfa (<i>Medicago sativa</i> L.).Branching is one of the key determinants of plant architecture that dramatically affects crop yield. As alfalfa is the most important forage crop, understanding the genetic basis of branching in this plant can facilitate breeding for a high biomass yield. In this study, we characterized the strigolactone receptor gene <i>MsD14</i> in alfalfa and demonstrated that <i>MsD14</i> was predominantly expressed in flowers, roots, and seedpods. Furthermore, we found that <i>MsD14</i> expression could significantly respond to strigolactone in alfalfa seedlings, and its protein was located in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cytomembrane. Most importantly, transformation assays demonstrated that silencing of <i>MsD14</i> in alfalfa resulted in increased shoot branching and forage biomass. Significantly, M2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Mar2026-06-20T03:19:16.233Z2025-04-19T22:16:17.459ZS-EPMC90034863540691910.3390/plants11070939