Affiliation:
1. National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200032 China
2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
3. Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture Guangzhou 510642 China
4. School of Life Science and Technology ShanghaiTech University Shanghai 201210 China
Abstract
ABSTRACTRice grain number is a crucial agronomic trait impacting yield. In this study, we characterized a quantitative trait locus (QTL), GRAIN NUMBER 1.1 (GN1.1), which encodes a Flowering Locus T‐like1 (FT‐L1) protein and acts as a negative regulator of grain number in rice. The elite allele GN1.1B, derived from the Oryza indica variety, BF3‐104, exhibits a 14.6% increase in grain yield compared with the O. japonica variety, Nipponbare, based on plot yield tests. We demonstrated that GN1.1 interacted with and enhanced the stability of ADP‐ribosylation factor (Arf)‐GTPase‐activating protein (Gap), OsZAC. Loss of function of OsZAC results in increased grain number. Based on our data, we propose that GN1.1B facilitates the elevation of auxin content in young rice panicles by affecting polar auxin transport (PAT) through interaction with OsZAC. Our study unveils the pivotal role of the GN1.1 locus in rice panicle development and presents a novel, promising allele for enhancing rice grain yield through genetic improvement.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
CAS-Croucher Funding Scheme for Joint Laboratories