October 28, 2011

Source: Crop Biotech Update

Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) GS5 was found to control rice grain weight by Prof. Qifa Zhang and his team at the National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University.

After 10 years of effort, Prof. Qifa proved that high level expression of GS5 can speed up cell cycle, which was related with the transverse division and broadening of the hull, and then speed up the filling and growth of endosperm.

As a result, the grain becomes bigger/heavier, and grain yield of per plant is increased. Thus, GS5 plays a key role in rice domestication and breeding, and make great contribution to biodiversity of grain size.

Discovery of GS5 could potentially lead to molecular breeding of high yielding rice varieties.

Results were published in the journal Nature Genetics. Read the abstract at http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ng.977.html#/access
 

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Published: October 28, 2011