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Science 29 July 2005:
Vol. 309. no. 5735, p. 665
DOI: 10.1126/science.309.5735.665g
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Most agriculturally important traits, like grain number and plant height, are regulated by genes known as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural allelic variations. Genetic crosses of existing rice lines allowed Ashikari et al. (p. 741, published online 23 June 2005) to identify several important QTLs involved in rice yield. One of these QTLs was identified as a candidate gene encoding a cytokinin oxidase. The locus was shown to encode a functional enzyme that degrades the hormone cytokinin. With less cytokinin degradation comes greater seed production, but also heavier panicles that are more susceptible to damage in the field. Combining the gene favoring greater grain production with a gene favoring shorter plants generated a significantly improved rice plant.




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