Biotech Updates

CRISPR-Cas9-mediated Mutagenesis of GmFT2a and GmFT5a Improves Adaptability of Soybean

July 3, 2019

Flowering time is of the vital characteristics of soybean that affects successful adaptation of soybeans to diverse latitudes and farming systems. In several studies, GmFT2a and GmFT5a have been found to play as flowering activators and integrator in soybeans. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences reported in Plant Biotechnology Journal two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regions harboring the GmFT2a and GmFT5a linked with various genetic effects on flowering under different photoperiods.

The researchers analyzed the flowering time of transgenic plants overexpressing GmFT2a or GmFT5a,ft2a mutants,ft5a mutants and ft2aft5a double mutants under long‐day (LD) and short‐day (SD) conditions. This confirmed that GmFT2a and GmFT5a have different functions and collectively control flowering time, and the effect of GmFT2a is more prominent than that of GmFT5a under SD conditions whereas GmFT5a has more significant effects than GmFT2a under LD conditions. It was also found that GmFT5a was vital for soybean's adaption to high latitude regions.

Read the research article in Plant Biotechnology Journal.