Bommert, P. and Nagasawa, N.S. and Jackson, D. (2013) Quantitative variation in maize kernel row number is controlled by the FASCIATED EAR2 locus. Nature Genetics. pp. 1-5.
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Abstract
Domestication of cereal crops, such as maize, wheat and rice, had a profound influence on agriculture and the establishment of human civilizations. One major improvement was an increase in seed number per inflorescence, which enhanced yield and simplified harvesting and storage1,2. The ancestor of maize, teosinte, makes 2 rows of kernels, and modern varieties make ~8–20 rows3. Kernel rows are initiated by the inflorescence shoot meristem, and shoot meristem size is controlled by a feedback loop involving the CLAVATA signaling proteins and the WUSCHEL transcription factor4,5. We present a hypothesis that variation in inflorescence meristem size affects kernel row number (KRN), with the potential to increase yield. We also show that variation in the CLAVATA receptor–like protein FASCIATED EAR2 leads to increased inflorescence meristem size and KRN. These findings indicate that modulation of fundamental stem cell proliferation control pathways has the potential to enhance crop yields.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Author Affiliation: | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA. |
| Subjects: | Plant Production |
| Divisions: | Maize |
| Depositing User: | Mr Siva Shankar |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Feb 2013 11:03 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2013 11:03 |
| Official URL: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.2534 |
| URI: | http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/9574 |
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