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TOND1 confers tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in rice
Author(s) -
Zhang Yangjun,
Tan Lubin,
Zhu Zuofeng,
Yuan Lixing,
Xie Daoxin,
Sun Chuanqing
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.12736
Subject(s) - cultivar , biology , japonica , agronomy , locus (genetics) , nutrient , botany , gene , genetics , ecology
Summary Nitrogen (N), the most important mineral nutrient for plants, is critical to agricultural production systems. N deficiency severely affects rice growth and decreases rice yields. However, excessive use of N fertilizer has caused severe pollution to agricultural and ecological environments. The necessity of breeding of crops that require lower input of N fertilizer has been recognized. Here we identified a major quantitative trait locus on chromosome 12, Tolerance Of Nitrogen Deficiency 1 ( TOND 1 ), that confers tolerance to N deficiency in the indica cultivar Teqing. Sequence verification of 75 indica and 75 japonica cultivars from 18 countries and regions demonstrated that only 27.3% of cultivars (41 indica cultivars) contain TOND 1 , whereas 72.7% of cultivars, including the remaining 34 indica cultivars and all 75 japonica cultivars, do not harbor the TOND 1 allele. Over‐expression of TOND 1 increased the tolerance to N deficiency in the TOND 1 ‐deficient rice cultivars. The identification of TOND 1 provides a molecular basis for breeding rice varieties with improved grain yield despite decreased input of N fertilizers.