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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312621
Title: Potential of multiseeded mutant (msd) to boost sorghum grain yield

Author
item Xin, Zhanguo
item JIAO, YINPING - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item Burow, Gloria
item Hayes, Chad
item WARE, DOREEN - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item Burke, John

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2015
Publication Date: 1/9/2015
Citation: Xin, Z., Jiao, Y., Burow, G.B., Hayes, C.M., Ware, D., Burke, J.J. 2015. Potential of multiseeded mutant (msd) to boost sorghum grain yield [abstract]. Plant and Animal Genome Conference, January 10-14, 2015. San Diego, CA. Paper No. P0555.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Seed number per plant is an important determinant of the grain yield in cereal and other crops. We have isolated a class of multiseeded (msd) sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) mutants that are capable of producing three times the seed number and twice the seed weight per panicle as compared with the wild-type BTx623. This increase in seed yield can be attributed to three morphological changes in the panicle. Sorghum panicle is highly branched with primary, secondary, and tertiary branches. The flower branch ends with a terminal triplet spikelets, one sessile spikelet that is directly attached to the branch and two pedicellate spikelets that are attached to the branch through a short pedicel, followed by one or more spikelet pairs (one sessile and one pedicellate). In BTx623 and most other known lines, only the sessile spikelets can develop into seeds and the pedicellate spikelets, occasionally develop anthers, will eventually abort. In the msd mutants all spikelets are fertile. In addition, the mutants displayed increased length and total number of primary and secondary inflorescence branches. All msd mutations are monogenic recessive. Ongoing genetic complementation indicates these msd mutants represent at least three loci. We are in the process of cloning the first complementation group, MSD1. This collection of mutants may serve as an important genetic resource to boost sorghum grain yield and unravel mechanisms of the abortion of pedicellate florets in many grass species.