Molecular Insights into Inflorescence Meristem Specification for Yield Potential in Cereal Crops

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Xiujuan Yang¹  Gang Li²  Chengyu Wang² 

[1] School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia;School of Life Sciences and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, China;

关键词: inflorescence meristem;    inflorescence architecture;    shoot apical meristem;    spikelet;    branching;    cereal crops;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms22073508

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Flowering plants develop new organs throughout their life cycle. The vegetative shoot apical meristem (SAM) generates leaf whorls, branches and stems, whereas the reproductive SAM, called the inflorescence meristem (IM), forms florets arranged on a stem or an axis. In cereal crops, the inflorescence producing grains from fertilized florets makes the major yield contribution, which is determined by the numbers and structures of branches, spikelets and florets within the inflorescence. The developmental progression largely depends on the activity of IM. The proper regulations of IM size, specification and termination are outcomes of complex interactions between promoting and restricting factors/signals. Here, we focus on recent advances in molecular mechanisms underlying potential pathways of IM identification, maintenance and differentiation in cereal crops, including rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare), highlighting the researches that have facilitated grain yield by, for example, modifying the number of inflorescence branches. Combinatorial functions of key regulators and crosstalk in IM determinacy and specification are summarized. This review delivers the knowledge to crop breeding applications aiming to the improvements in yield performance and productivity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown