Assessment of the individual and combined effects of Rht8 and Ppd-D1a on plant height, time to heading and yield traits in common wheat
Kunpu Zhang,
Junjun Wang,
Huanju Qin,
Zhiying Wei,
Libo Hang,
Pengwei Zhang,
Matthew Reynolds,
Daowen Wang
Affiliations
Kunpu Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Agronomy and State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, Henan, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Junjun Wang
State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Huanju Qin
State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Zhiying Wei
Zhaoxian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Zhaoxian 051530, Hebei, China
Libo Hang
Zhaoxian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Zhaoxian 051530, Hebei, China
Pengwei Zhang
Zhaoxian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Zhaoxian 051530, Hebei, China
Matthew Reynolds
CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 México, DF, Mexico
Daowen Wang
State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Agronomy and State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, Henan, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Grain yield in cereal crops is a complex trait controlled by multiple genes and influenced by developmental processes and environment. Here we report the effects of alleles Rht8 and Ppd-D1a on plant height, time to heading, and grain yield and its component traits. Association analysis and quantitative trait locus mapping using phenotypic data from 15 environments led to the following conclusions. First, both Rht8 and Ppd-D1a reduce plant height. However, Ppd-D1a but not Rht8 causes earlier heading. Second, both Rht8 and Ppd-D1a promote grain yield and affect component traits. Their combined effects are substantially larger than those conferred by either allele alone. Third, promotion of grain yield by Rht8 and Ppd-D1a is through increasing fertile spikelet number. We speculate that Rht8 and Ppd-D1a act independently and additively in control of plant height, grain yield and yield component. Combination of the two alleles is desirable for adjusting plant height and enhancing grain yield and abiotic stress tolerance. Keywords: Association analysis, QTL mapping, Grain number, Grain yield, Triticum aestivum
