A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids
Meristems are central to plant growth and development, yet evidence of directly manipulating this control to improve crop yield is scarce. Kernel row number (KRN) is an important agronomic trait that can directly affect maize (<i>Zea mays L</i>.) yield. However, this trait is difficult t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/11/1774 |
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| author | Khuat Huu Trung Quan Hong Tran Ngoc Hong Bui Thuy Thi Tran Kong Quy Luu Nga Thi Thu Tran Loan Thi Nguyen Diep Thi Ngoc Nguyen Bach Duong Vu Duong Thi Thuy Quan Diep Thuy Nguyen Hien Thi Nguyen Cuong Cao Dang Bao Manh Tran Tran Dang Khanh Son Lang Vi |
| author_facet | Khuat Huu Trung Quan Hong Tran Ngoc Hong Bui Thuy Thi Tran Kong Quy Luu Nga Thi Thu Tran Loan Thi Nguyen Diep Thi Ngoc Nguyen Bach Duong Vu Duong Thi Thuy Quan Diep Thuy Nguyen Hien Thi Nguyen Cuong Cao Dang Bao Manh Tran Tran Dang Khanh Son Lang Vi |
| author_sort | Khuat Huu Trung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Meristems are central to plant growth and development, yet evidence of directly manipulating this control to improve crop yield is scarce. Kernel row number (KRN) is an important agronomic trait that can directly affect maize (<i>Zea mays L</i>.) yield. However, this trait is difficult to select by phenotyping, since it is highly variable in the mixed genetic backgrounds in early selfing generations. This study sought to improve this trait by marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) of a weak allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2</i> that is known to affect inflorescence meristem size, but the effect of which on yield is unclear. All of the four introgressed tropical elite inbreds of different heterotic groups, which are homozygous for the <i>fea2</i>-<i>1328</i> allele, had 2–5 more KRNs compared to their respective recurrent parents. Furthermore, one hybrid made from crosses between two introgressed parents also had KRN increases that resulted in up to 28% yield increase compared to the original hybrid across multiple yield trials. The novel negative effects of the pericentromeric <i>fea2</i> and/or its linkage drag effect on plant height, seed weight, and ear length, which could prevent line improvement, were revealed in several genetic backgrounds. Integration of conventional phenotypic selection to overcome these undesirable effects was discussed. This is the first work to demonstrate the possibility to increase yield of maize varieties using a mutation in a meristem size regulator. The crossing, selection strategies, and recombinant lines in this work can be applied to other elite maize hybrids and provide a potentially straightforward, non-transgenic way to improve the yield of an existing variety by 8–28%. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:53:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-978c1cb294334282b38e6b9c3e1eb114 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:53:02Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-978c1cb294334282b38e6b9c3e1eb1142023-11-20T20:50:23ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-11-011011177410.3390/agronomy10111774A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize HybridsKhuat Huu Trung0Quan Hong Tran1Ngoc Hong Bui2Thuy Thi Tran3Kong Quy Luu4Nga Thi Thu Tran5Loan Thi Nguyen6Diep Thi Ngoc Nguyen7Bach Duong Vu8Duong Thi Thuy Quan9Diep Thuy Nguyen10Hien Thi Nguyen11Cuong Cao Dang12Bao Manh Tran13Tran Dang Khanh14Son Lang Vi15Department of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamFaculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, PHENIKAA University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, VietnamThaiBinh Seed Group Joint StockCompany, 36 Quang Trung Street, Phuong Tran Hung Dao, Thai Binh 410000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamThaiBinh Seed Group Joint StockCompany, 36 Quang Trung Street, Phuong Tran Hung Dao, Thai Binh 410000, VietnamFaculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, PHENIKAA University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamThaiBinh Seed Group Joint StockCompany, 36 Quang Trung Street, Phuong Tran Hung Dao, Thai Binh 410000, VietnamThaiBinh Seed Group Joint StockCompany, 36 Quang Trung Street, Phuong Tran Hung Dao, Thai Binh 410000, VietnamThaiBinh Seed Group Joint StockCompany, 36 Quang Trung Street, Phuong Tran Hung Dao, Thai Binh 410000, VietnamDepartment of Genetic Engineering, The Agricultural Genetics Institute, Km2 Pham Van Dong Street, Hanoi 122000, VietnamFaculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, PHENIKAA University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, VietnamMeristems are central to plant growth and development, yet evidence of directly manipulating this control to improve crop yield is scarce. Kernel row number (KRN) is an important agronomic trait that can directly affect maize (<i>Zea mays L</i>.) yield. However, this trait is difficult to select by phenotyping, since it is highly variable in the mixed genetic backgrounds in early selfing generations. This study sought to improve this trait by marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) of a weak allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2</i> that is known to affect inflorescence meristem size, but the effect of which on yield is unclear. All of the four introgressed tropical elite inbreds of different heterotic groups, which are homozygous for the <i>fea2</i>-<i>1328</i> allele, had 2–5 more KRNs compared to their respective recurrent parents. Furthermore, one hybrid made from crosses between two introgressed parents also had KRN increases that resulted in up to 28% yield increase compared to the original hybrid across multiple yield trials. The novel negative effects of the pericentromeric <i>fea2</i> and/or its linkage drag effect on plant height, seed weight, and ear length, which could prevent line improvement, were revealed in several genetic backgrounds. Integration of conventional phenotypic selection to overcome these undesirable effects was discussed. This is the first work to demonstrate the possibility to increase yield of maize varieties using a mutation in a meristem size regulator. The crossing, selection strategies, and recombinant lines in this work can be applied to other elite maize hybrids and provide a potentially straightforward, non-transgenic way to improve the yield of an existing variety by 8–28%.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/11/1774maize yieldmarker assisted selectionbackcrossMASkernel row numberKRN |
| spellingShingle | Khuat Huu Trung Quan Hong Tran Ngoc Hong Bui Thuy Thi Tran Kong Quy Luu Nga Thi Thu Tran Loan Thi Nguyen Diep Thi Ngoc Nguyen Bach Duong Vu Duong Thi Thuy Quan Diep Thuy Nguyen Hien Thi Nguyen Cuong Cao Dang Bao Manh Tran Tran Dang Khanh Son Lang Vi A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids Agronomy maize yield marker assisted selection backcross MAS kernel row number KRN |
| title | A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids |
| title_full | A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids |
| title_fullStr | A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids |
| title_short | A Weak Allele of <i>FASCIATED EAR 2 (FEA2)</i> Increases Maize Kernel Row Number (KRN) and Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids |
| title_sort | weak allele of i fasciated ear 2 fea2 i increases maize kernel row number krn and yield in elite maize hybrids |
| topic | maize yield marker assisted selection backcross MAS kernel row number KRN |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/11/1774 |
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