Abstract
BackgroundPlant architecture and the vegetative-reproductive transition have major impacts on the agronomic success of crop plants, but genetic mechanisms underlying these traits in cotton (Gossypium spp.) have not been identified.ResultsWe identify four natural mutations in GoCEN-Dt associated with cluster fruiting (cl) and early maturity. The situ hybridization shows that GhCEN is preferentially expressed in cotton shoot apical meristems (SAM) of the main stem and axillary buds. Constitutive GhCEN-Dt overexpression suppresses the transition of the cotton vegetative apex to a reproductive shoot. Silencing GoCEN leads to early flowering and determinate growth, and in tetraploids causes the main stem to terminate in a floral bud, a novel phenotype that exemplifies co-adaptation of polyploid subgenomes and suggests new research and/or crop improvement approaches. Natural cl variations are enriched in cottons adapted to high latitudes with short frost-free periods, indicating that mutants of GoCEN have been strongly selected for early maturity.ConclusionWe show that the cotton gene GoCEN-Dt, a homolog of Antirrhinum CENTRORADIALIS, is responsible for determinate growth habit and cluster fruiting. Insight into the genetic control of branch and flower differentiation offers new approaches to develop early maturing cultivars of cotton and other crops with plant architecture appropriate for mechanical harvesting.
Highlights
Plant architecture and the vegetative-reproductive transition have major impacts on the agronomic success of crop plants, but genetic mechanisms underlying these traits in cotton (Gossypium spp.) have not been identified
Map-based cloning of cl To understand the hereditary basis of the cl trait, an F2 population including 310 progenies was constructed by crossing CCRI 35 with Hai170
In the present study, using a map-based cloning strategy, we have successfully cloned a gene GoCEN-Dt, a homolog of Antirrhinum CENTRORADIALIS, which is responsible for the four natural mutations in the determinate growth habit with cluster fruiting in cotton
Summary
Plant architecture and the vegetative-reproductive transition have major impacts on the agronomic success of crop plants, but genetic mechanisms underlying these traits in cotton (Gossypium spp.) have not been identified. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the world’s most important natural fiber crop, a significant oilseed, and an important source of high-quality protein [1]. Improved productivity to meet increased consumption of cotton fiber has heavily relied upon mechanization of traditionally labor-intensive tasks [4]. As was true in rice and maize [5, 6], genetic modification of plant architecture is of great importance to optimizing cotton for mechanized production [7]. A variety of architectures have been proposed and used to adapt to polytropic climates and to improve cotton yield potential in breeding programs [8]
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