Study Reveals Gene that Reduces Wheat Grain Weight

Wheat, a vital global crop for food security, faces challenges from climate change and a growing population, making yield improvement crucial for future production. A study published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal highlights the gene affecting wheat grain weight and filling.

The Wox gene family encodes transcription factors essential for plant growth and development. However, the role of Wox genes in cereal crops remains unclear, particularly with yield traits like thousand kernel weight (TKW). Since starch comprises up to 85% of wheat grain dry weight, sucrose metabolism plays a crucial role in determining TKW and overall yield. In this study, scientists used CRISPR to understand the effect of TaWUS-like-5D on the grain yield of wheat.

The study revealed that the edited single and double knockout mutants (AABBdd and AAbbdd) showed significantly larger grains and higher TKW, with yield increasing by 10%. The researchers found that TaWUS-like-5D affects grain development by regulating TKW, as it inhibits the transcription of sucrose, hormone, and trehalose metabolism-related genes and starch synthesis in wheat grains.

For more information, read the study from the Plant Biotechnology Journal.