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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408587
Research Project: Mobilizing Genetic Resources and Technologies for Breeding Profitable, Resilient, and Nutritious Hard Winter Wheat

Location: Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research

Title: Development and validation of diagnostic markers for the reduced height gene Rht8 in wheat

Author
item XU, YUZHOU - Kansas State University
item St Amand, Paul
item CHAI, LINGLING - China Agricultural University
item LI, YAOGUANG - Kansas State University
item NI, ZHONGFU - China Agriculture University
item CARVER, BRETT - Oklahoma State University
item Bai, Guihua

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2023
Publication Date: 1/24/2024
Citation: Xu, Y., St Amand, P.C., Chai, L., Li, Y., Ni, Z., Carver, B., Bai, G. 2024. Development and validation of diagnostic markers for the reduced height gene Rht8 in wheat. Crop Science. 64(1):278-286. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21153.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21153

Interpretive Summary: Reducing plant height through introduction of reduced height (Rht) genes Rht1 and Rht2 in wheat lead to the Green Revolution. However, Rht1 and Rht2 are gibberellic acid (GA)-insensitive and have short coleoptile which limits wheat grain yield potential especially in dry areas where deep planting to moisture is essential. Rht8 has been recently cloned and determined to be a ribonuclease H-like (RNHL) superfamily protein that is gibberellic acid (GA)-sensitive. However, this gene has not be widely deployed in US wheat due to lack of diagnostic markers. In this study, we developed two breeder-friendly DNA markers based on the cloned gene sequence and validated them to be diagnostic in a large hard winter wheat breeding panel. These markers will facilitate the transfer of Rht8 to the US wheat cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Wheat production is necessary for global food and nutrition security. Reducing plant height is an effective strategy to increase lodging resistance, harvest index, and eventually wheat yield. Rht8 is a gibberellic acid (GA)-sensitive reduced height (Rht) gene and has been cloned. Rht8 encodes a ribonuclease H-like (RNHL) superfamily protein that reduces plant height without reduction in coleoptile length and yield. High-throughput diagnostic markers are not available for precise selection of RNHL in wheat breeding. In this study, we found different cultivars may carry 1-3 copies of RNHLs on 2D and the RNHL semi-dwarf allele is only present on 2D although the wide type RNHL allele is detected in several other chromosomes. We developed two kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers, Rht8-KASP-V2 and Rht8-KASP-V3, based on the causal variation in RNHL. The two markers co-segregated with plant height in a recombinant inbred population and were validated in a panel of hard winter wheat breeding lines from the 2022 Regional Germplasm Observation Nursery (RGON) and Regional Performance Nursery (RPN). Rht8 has not been extensively deployed in US hard winter wheat and development of the diagnostic KASP markers will facilitate Rht8 transfer to US wheat cultivars.