Abstract
Tartary buckwheat is a type of cultivated medicinal and edible crop with good economic and nutritional value. Knowledge of the final fruit size of buckwheat is critical to its yield increase. In this study, the fruit development of two species of Tartary buckwheat in the Polygonaceae was analyzed. During fruit development, the size/weight, the contents of auxin (AUX)/abscisic acid (ABA), the number of cells, and the changes of embryo were measured and observed; and the two fruit materials were compared to determine the related mechanisms that affected fruit size and the potential factors that regulated the final fruit size. The early events during embryogenesis greatly influenced the final fruit size, and the difference in fruit growth was primarily due to the difference in the number of cells, implicating the effect of cell division rate. Based on our observations and recent reports, the balance of AUX and ABA might be the key factor that regulated the cell division rate. They induced the response of auxin response factor 2 (FtARF2) and downstream small auxin upstream RNA (FtSAURs) through hormone signaling pathway to regulate the fruit size of Tartary buckwheat. Further, through the induction of fruit expansion by exogenous auxin, FtARF2b was significantly downregulated. The FtARF2b is a potential target for molecular breeding or gene editing.
Highlights
Increasing fruit yield is one of the primary goals of botanists
After the different materials were cultivated under the same conditions, we confirmed that the mature fruits of big Tartary buckwheat (BTB) plants were larger than those of small Tartary
The fruit size primarily correlates with the size of the cotyledons, and the number and size of cotyledon cells are directly related to the final fruit size [27]
Summary
Increasing fruit yield is one of the primary goals of botanists. Fruit size and fruit number are the two complementary agronomic traits that determine the yield of crop varieties. The volume of fruit is the result of the combination of embryo, endosperm, and pericarp [3] These tissues originate from maternal tissues or different fertilization events (for example, one sperm cell fertilizes diploid central cells to form triploid endosperms, and a second sperm cell fertilizes egg cells to form diploid embryos). These events occur during specific periods of fruit development: cell division occurs primarily at the stage of embryogenesis, whereas cell dilatation occurs more frequently at the stage of filling [4]. Because the size of a fruit is generally primarily related to the initial growth of the embryo rather than to the later growth of the embryo [3,9,10], we focused our attention on embryo and cotyledon differentiation, endosperm development, and cell division in the early stages of fruit development [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
