Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits
Awns, which are either bristles or hair-like outgrowths of lemmas in the florets, are one of the typical morphological characteristics of grass species. These stiff structures contribute to grain dispersal and burial and fend off animal predators. However, their phenotypic and genetic associations w...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-10-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7593 |
| _version_ | 1797551002709131264 |
|---|---|
| author | Fabrice Ntakirutimana Wengang Xie |
| author_facet | Fabrice Ntakirutimana Wengang Xie |
| author_sort | Fabrice Ntakirutimana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Awns, which are either bristles or hair-like outgrowths of lemmas in the florets, are one of the typical morphological characteristics of grass species. These stiff structures contribute to grain dispersal and burial and fend off animal predators. However, their phenotypic and genetic associations with traits deciding potential yield and quality are not fully understood. Awns appear to improve photosynthesis, provide assimilates for grain filling, thus contributing to the final grain yield, especially under temperature- and water-stress conditions. Long awns, however, represent a competing sink with developing kernels for photosynthates, which can reduce grain yield under favorable conditions. In addition, long awns can hamper postharvest handling, storage, and processing activities. Overall, little is known about the elusive role of awns, thus, this review summarizes what is known about the effect of awns on grain yield and biomass yield, grain nutritional value, and forage-quality attributes. The influence of awns on the agronomic performance of grasses seems to be associated with environmental and genetic factors and varies in different stages of plant development. The contribution of awns to yield traits and quality features previously documented in major cereal crops, such as rice, barley, and wheat, emphasizes that awns can be targeted for yield and quality improvement and may advance research aimed at identifying the phenotypic effects of morphological traits in grasses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:37:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-724d94ef9b9146b18e524eb4313ba4c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:37:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-724d94ef9b9146b18e524eb4313ba4c12023-11-20T17:05:34ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672020-10-012120759310.3390/ijms21207593Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality TraitsFabrice Ntakirutimana0Wengang Xie1State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, ChinaAwns, which are either bristles or hair-like outgrowths of lemmas in the florets, are one of the typical morphological characteristics of grass species. These stiff structures contribute to grain dispersal and burial and fend off animal predators. However, their phenotypic and genetic associations with traits deciding potential yield and quality are not fully understood. Awns appear to improve photosynthesis, provide assimilates for grain filling, thus contributing to the final grain yield, especially under temperature- and water-stress conditions. Long awns, however, represent a competing sink with developing kernels for photosynthates, which can reduce grain yield under favorable conditions. In addition, long awns can hamper postharvest handling, storage, and processing activities. Overall, little is known about the elusive role of awns, thus, this review summarizes what is known about the effect of awns on grain yield and biomass yield, grain nutritional value, and forage-quality attributes. The influence of awns on the agronomic performance of grasses seems to be associated with environmental and genetic factors and varies in different stages of plant development. The contribution of awns to yield traits and quality features previously documented in major cereal crops, such as rice, barley, and wheat, emphasizes that awns can be targeted for yield and quality improvement and may advance research aimed at identifying the phenotypic effects of morphological traits in grasses.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7593awnsgrass speciesphotosynthesismolecular genetic factorsgrain fillinggrain yield |
| spellingShingle | Fabrice Ntakirutimana Wengang Xie Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits International Journal of Molecular Sciences awns grass species photosynthesis molecular genetic factors grain filling grain yield |
| title | Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits |
| title_full | Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits |
| title_short | Unveiling the Actual Functions of Awns in Grasses: From Yield Potential to Quality Traits |
| title_sort | unveiling the actual functions of awns in grasses from yield potential to quality traits |
| topic | awns grass species photosynthesis molecular genetic factors grain filling grain yield |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7593 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fabricentakirutimana unveilingtheactualfunctionsofawnsingrassesfromyieldpotentialtoqualitytraits AT wengangxie unveilingtheactualfunctionsofawnsingrassesfromyieldpotentialtoqualitytraits |