Biotech Updates

Big Grain1 Activation Yields Bigger Grain Size in Rice

August 26, 2015

Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers conducted a study which aims to observe the regulation of grain size. Grain size is considered to be one of the important factors in grain yield. This study was conducted by identifying and characterizing the big grain1 (Bg1-D), a mutant rice having an extra-large phenotype for grain size obtained from a rice-T-DNA insertion population.

Results of the study revealed that the overexpression of BG1 lead to an increase in grain size and sensitivities to both auxin and N-1 naphthylphthalamic acid. Furthermore, BG1 is found to be associated with auxin regulation. Its overexpression in the mutant rice resulted to an increase in the auxin transport while its knockdown in mutant rice exhibited a corresponding decrease in auxin transport. In addition, the manipulation of BG1 in both rice and Arabidopsis can improve plant biomass, seed weight, and yield.

The results provide new insights in developing a new strategy for plant productivity improvement.

Details of the study can be read at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.