Biotech Rice Exhibits Reduced Grain Chalkiness
March 4, 2015| |
The insufficient supply of photosynthates source of grains is considered to be one of the causes of chalkiness, a key factor in determining rice quality. In China, Zhaoqing University's Yonghai Liu studied the enzyme L-galactono-1, 4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH, EC1.3.2.3), the catalyst for the final step in the synthesis of ascorbic acid (Asc) and its effect on grain chalkiness.
Researchers found that the L-GalLDH-overexpressing transgenic rice, GO-2, contains a higher Asc content in leaves than wild-type plants and exhibits reduced grain chalkiness. Further analysis showed that the enhanced level of Asc resulted in a significantly higher ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) protein level in GO-2 which increased the photosynthetic rate.
These results reveal that the enhanced level of Asc affects the chalkiness in GO-2 grains by maintaining photosynthetic function in leaves at key developmental stages related to grain filling.
For more information, read the full article on Science Direct.
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