Trinexapac-ethyl application time in the crop corn agronomic performance grown under different plant arrangements

Reduced row spacing promotes more uniform spatial distribution of plants in the field. However, the adoption of reduced row spacing only is possible with smaller plants, which may be obtained with the use of plant growth regulator. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of the first corn crop with Trinexapac-ethyl applied at the different plant development stages and grown under different row spacing, with the same plant population. The experiments were arranged in a split-plot randomized block design with four replications, with row spacing for the plots (0.45 and 0.90 m) and Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) application time to subplots (control without application, at the V3, V6, V9 and V12 phenological stages). The Trinexapacethyl application time interacted with row spacings changing the growth and yield performance of the corn crop. For 0.45 m spacing Trinexapac-ethyl application at V12 and for 0.90 m spacing application at V9 and V12 reduced plant height and ear height. Trinexapac-ethyl application at V9 for both row spacings changed the plant architecture without changing the ear length and grain yield.

A New RING Finger Protein, PLANT ARCHITECTURE and GRAIN NUMBER 1, Affects Plant Architecture and Grain Yield in Rice

Developing methods for increasing the biomass and improving the plant architecture is important for crop improvement. We herein describe a gene belonging to the RING_Ubox (RING (Really Interesting New Gene) finger domain and U-box domain) superfamily, PLANT ARCHITECTURE and GRAIN NUMBER 1 (PAGN1), which regulates the number of grains per panicle, the plant height, and the number of tillers. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to introduce loss-of-function mutations to OsPAGN1. Compared with the control plants, the resulting pagn1 mutant plants had a higher grain yield because of increases in the plant height and in the number of tillers and grains per panicle. Thus, OsPAGN1 may be useful for the genetic improvement of plant architecture and yield. An examination of evolutionary relationships revealed that OsPAGN1 is highly conserved in rice. We demonstrated that OsPAGN1 can interact directly with OsCNR10 (CELL NUMBER REGULATOR10), which negatively regulates the number of rice grains per panicle. A transcriptome analysis indicated that silencing OsPAGN1 affects the levels of active cytokinins in rice. Therefore, our findings have clarified the OsPAGN1 functions related to rice growth and grain development.

Control of Leaf Width by the APC/CTAD1-WL1-NAL1 Pathway in Rice

Leaf morphology is one of the most important features of the ideal plant architecture. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling leaf morphology in crops remain largely unknown, despite their central importance. Here we demonstrate that the APC/CTAD1-WL1-NAL1 pathway regulates leaf width in rice, and mutation of WL1 leads to width leaf variation. WL1 interacts with TAD1 and is degraded by APC/CTAD1, with the loss of TAD1 function resulting in narrow leaves. The WL1 protein directly binds to the regulatory region of NAL1 and recruits the corepressor TOPLESS-RELATED PROTEIN to inhibit NAL1 expression by down-regulating the level of histone acetylation of chromatin. Furthermore, biochemical and genetic analyses revealed that TAD1, WL1, and NAL1 function in a common pathway to control leaf width. Our study establishes an important framework for the APC/CTAD1-WL1-NAL1 pathway-mediated control of leaf width in rice and introduces novel perspectives for using this regulatory pathway for improving crop plant architecture.

Analysis the agronomic character and inheritance of fragrant genes in F2 progenies of Sigupai and Yinzhan

Sigupai is one of Aceh’s local rice that highly popular because of the distinctive scent. Sigupai is still widely grown by the farmers in the southern western region of Aceh. However, this local rice has inferior production, height plant architecture, deep age and the average of production about 4 tons ha-1. The improvement of Sigupai local rice from the agronomic character and the harvest age can be done through crosses with Yinzhan varieties that carry sd-1 genes. The study aims to analyze changes in agronomic character and fragrant gene inheritance in Sigupai/Yinzhan F2 derived. Analysis of agronomic character is carried out by observing harvest age, plant height, weight of 1000 grains, grain weight per clump and yield potential per hectare. The planting material used was F2 derivative of Sigupai/Yinzhan as many as 104 individuals planted in pots. PCR analysis was conducted to analyze the presence of fragrant genes in F2 progenies of Sg/Yz. The data was analyzed with Chi-Square analysis. The results showed 104 plant genotypes analyzed by PCR, 64.42% of F2 progenies Sigupai/Yinzhan inherited the fragrant gene. The results of analysis of agronomic character showed 62 genotypes there were 95.08% of ripening aged, 59.01% had a short stem architecture and 6 genotypes (9.83%) had a potential yield of 4,04,-5,33 tons ha-1.