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PAY 1 improves plant architecture and enhances grain yield in rice
Author(s) -
Zhao Lei,
Tan Lubin,
Zhu Zuofeng,
Xiao Langtao,
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.12905
Subject(s) - panicle , hybrid , introgression , genetic architecture , agronomy , biology , cultivar , grain yield , domestication , yield (engineering) , genetically modified rice , genetically modified crops , quantitative trait locus , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , transgene , genetics , materials science , metallurgy
Summary Plant architecture, a complex of the important agronomic traits that determine grain yield, is a primary target of artificial selection of rice domestication and improvement. Some important genes affecting plant architecture and grain yield have been isolated and characterized in recent decades; however, their underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we report genetic identification and functional analysis of the PLANT ARCHITECTURE AND YIELD 1 ( PAY 1 ) gene in rice, which affects plant architecture and grain yield in rice. Transgenic plants over‐expressing PAY 1 had twice the number of grains per panicle and consequently produced nearly 38% more grain yield per plant than control plants. Mechanistically, PAY 1 could improve plant architecture via affecting polar auxin transport activity and altering endogenous indole‐3‐acetic acid distribution. Furthermore, introgression of PAY 1 into elite rice cultivars, using marker‐assisted background selection, dramatically increased grain yield compared with the recipient parents. Overall, these results demonstrated that PAY 1 could be a new beneficial genetic resource for shaping ideal plant architecture and breeding high‐yielding rice varieties.