Tiller Development Research Articles

Natural variation in Tiller Number 1 affects its interaction with TIF1 to regulate tillering in rice.

Tiller number per plant-a cardinal component of ideal plant architecture-affects grain yield potential. Thus, alleles positively affecting tillering must be mined to promote genetic improvement. Here, we report a Tiller Number 1 (TN1) protein harbouring a bromo-adjacent homology domain and RNA recognition motifs, identified through genome-wide association study of tiller numbers. Natural variation in TN1 affects its interaction with TIF1 (TN1 interaction factor 1) to affect DWARF14 expression and negatively regulate tiller number in rice. Further analysis of variations in TN1 among indica genotypes according to geographical distribution revealed that low-tillering varieties with TN1-hapL are concentrated in Southeast Asia and East Asia, whereas high-tillering varieties with TN1-hapH are concentrated in South Asia. Taken together, these results indicate that TN1 is a tillering regulatory factor whose alleles present apparent preferential utilization across geographical regions. Our findings advance the molecular understanding of tiller development.

Is It Possible to Predict the Timing of Mid−Season Drainage by Assessing Rice Canopy Light Interception?

Mid−season drainage (MSD) is a widely used water management practice in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation. However, the timing of the initiation and termination of MSD is highly arbitrary and subjective, and a quantitative indicator is lacking in precision agronomic practice. In this study, datasets (91 cases) from previous field experiments were obtained and used to fit adjusted exponential growth models, incorporating rice canopy light interception (CLI) and tillering development dynamics. Different criteria for initiating and terminating MSD were developed based on CLI indicators. The results showed that the CLI indicator at 80% of the projected panicle could be used to predict the initiation of MSD; however, it was highly variable, depending on the growing season and rice cultivated variety. The values for Indica rice were 0.26 to 0.31 and 0.31 to 0.42 in the late and single seasons, respectively, while the values for Japonica rice were 0.15 to 0.29 and 0.23 to 0.33, respectively. In addition, the CLI values at 7 to 10 days prior to panicle initiation (PI) ranged from 0.77 to 0.87 and from 0.56 to 0.83 for the Indica and Japonica varieties, respectively, and were calculated to determine MSD termination. The CLI indicators for MSD were greatly dependent on the cultivated variety, growing season, and planting method. The results of the correlation study and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the differences in CLI values attributed to rice type and growing season were driven by the tillering and canopy characteristic traits, respectively. Therefore, the current parameters could provide a reference for subsequent field applications in specific areas, but further optimization is needed to increase their robustness. To evaluate the usefulness of the CLI indicator for determining MSD initiation and termination, a set of devices for monitoring canopy light interception and water level was developed, and an on-farm trial was carried out in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China in 2022. The field application demonstrated that MSD could be scheduled automatically based on the current system, and that the effect was consistent in practice.

Development and performance evaluation of power tiller operated multi-crop planter for hill agriculture

Development and performance evaluation of power tiller operated multi-crop planter for hill agriculture

Development of a small-scale power tiller for farmers in developing countries: A case study of Benin

This study examines the labour of small-scale farmers during ploughing and develops a power tiller with the view of reducing the hardness of work and increasing the field operation capacity. The machine is designed and fabricated based on standard engineering principles for part-sizing and selection of materials. It is tested and the performance results obtained are compared to manual ploughing. Performance parameters were determined from fieldwork and laboratory experiments. The average depth, width of cut and operation speed were 14.84 cm, 24.56 cm and 3.48 km/h, respectively for power tiller compared with 10.62 cm, 18.97 cm and 0.49 km/h, respectively for manual ploughing. Average field efficiency and theoretical field capacity were 88.23%, and 0.096 ha/h, respectively for the power tiller compared with 96%, and 0.0136 ha/h for manual ploughing. Fuel consumption revealed for power tiller is 1.99 l/h. The field capacity of the machine was 0.075 ha/h which was higher than 0.013 ha/h for manual ploughing. The results show that the machine is suitable for small-scale farmers. Economic assessment of the power tiller is work to be done. • Few farm households in Benin as a country in development can invest in agricultural machines due to their high initial cost. • Few power tiller machines have been developed to enhance agricultural production in developing countries like in Benin. • The power tiller is very efficient and effective compared to manual ploughing, despite its fuel consumption, and can increase field capacity. • To promote mechanization policymakers should emphasise on small-scale power tiller machines can be favorable to small farmers.

Growth and Yield Variability in Rice Owing to Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Graminicola) At Different Plant Age

Meloidogyne graminicola (nematode) mostly attacks young roots of plants; hence, age of host becomes a predominant factor in infection and pathogenesis. A pot experiment was conducted in the net house condition during kharif, 2018 in complete randomized design to find out the changes in growth and yield parameters of rice cv. Naveen due to inoculation of M. graminicola at different plant age. The nematode infested rice plants showed chlorosis, stunting and characteristic terminal galls on the roots which ultimately resulted in severe reduction in growth, unfilled spikelets, reduction in tiller development and other growth attributes over control. Nematode inoculation at early crop stage retarded the plant growth and yield attributes by reducing the rice yield up to 57.4%. The maximum percentage of reduction in plant height (19.8%), tiller number (39.6%), dry weight of shoot (43.6%), dry weight of root (45.6%) and total biomass (49.6%) was observed in the plants inoculated at two weeks after sowing. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(3): 411-416, 2022 (September)

Physiological and Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of the High-Tillering Mutant mtn1 Reveal Regulatory Mechanisms in the Tillering of Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.).

Tillering is a key factor that determines the reproductive yields of centipedegrass, which is an important perennial warm-season turfgrass. However, the regulatory mechanism of tillering in perennial plants is poorly understood, especially in perennial turfgrasses. In this study, we created and characterised a cold plasma-mutagenised centipedegrass mutant, mtn1 (more tillering number 1). Phenotypic analysis showed that the mtn1 mutant exhibited high tillering, short internodes, long seeds and a heavy 1000-seed weight. Then, a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the mtn1 mutant and wild-type was performed to explore the molecular mechanisms of centipedegrass tillering. The results revealed that plant hormone signalling pathways, as well as starch and sucrose metabolism, might play important roles in centipedegrass tillering. Hormone and soluble sugar content measurements and exogenous treatment results validated that plant hormones and sugars play important roles in centipedegrass tiller development. In particular, the overexpression of the auxin transporter ATP-binding cassette B 11 (EoABCB11) in Arabidopsis resulted in more branches. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also identified, which will provide a useful resource for molecular marker-assisted breeding in centipedegrass. According to the physiological characteristics and transcriptional expression levels of the related genes, the regulatory mechanism of centipedegrass tillering was systematically revealed. This research provides a new breeding resource for further studies into the molecular mechanism that regulates tillering in perennial plants and for breeding high-tillering centipedegrass varieties.

Characteristics of members of IGT family genes in controlling rice root system architecture and tiller development.

Root system architecture (RSA) and tiller are important agronomic traits. However, the mechanisms of the IGT family genes regulate RSA and tiller development in different rice varieties remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that 38 rice varieties obtained from Yuanyang Hani’s terraced fields with different RSA and could be classified into six groups based on the ratio of root length and width. We found a positive correlation between RSA (including root width, length, and area) and tiller number in most of rice varieties. Furthermore, the IGT family genes Deeper Rooting 1 (DRO1), LAZY1, TAC1, and qSOR1 showed different expression patterns when rice grown under irrigation and drought conditions. Moreover, the qSOR1 gene had higher levels in the roots and tillers, and accompanied with higher levels of PIN1b gene in roots when rice grown under drought environmental condition. DRO1 gene had two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the exon 3 sequences and showed different expression patterns in the roots and tillers of the 38 rice varieties. Overexpression of DRO1 with a deletion of exon 5 caused shorter root length, less lateral roots and lower levels of LAZY1, TAC1, and qSOR1. Further protein interaction network, microRNA targeting and co-expression analysis showed that DRO1 plays a critical role in the root and tiller development associated with auxin transport. These data suggest that the RSA and tiller development are regulated by the IGT family genes in an intricate network way, which is tightly related to rice genetic background in rice adapting to different environmental conditions.

Effects of daughter tiller removal on shoot and root growth of the parent tiller in Lolium perenne

Background This study investigated the effects of daughter tiller removal on parent tiller development in Lolium perenne. Methods Plants of L. perenne were grown hydroponically to allow separation of roots by phytomer position on the tiller axis and allowed to form two daughter tillers. In Experiment 1, adult daughter tillers were excised and effects on subsequent main tiller growth were observed for 16 days, on average. In Experiment 2, the growth of main tillers with or without daughter tillers was compared over 90–100 days. Two cultivars, ‘Alto’ bred from New Zealand germplasm and ‘Aberdart’ bred from United Kingdom germplasm were tested. Results Excision of adult daughter tillers reduced the dry weight of older roots at the base of parent tiller axes and accelerated new phytomer appearance. Preventing tillers from forming daughter tillers by new tiller excision resulted in increased individual leaf and root dry weight in tillers without daughter tillers. Conclusions The data indicated that daughter tillers contributed substrate for root development of their parent tillers. The presence of daughter tillers reduced the size of their main tiller but greatly enhanced whole plant yield.

The Effects of Brief Heat During Early Booting on Reproductive, Developmental, and Chlorophyll Physiological Performance in Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Rising temperatures due to climate change threaten agricultural crop productivity. As a cool-season crop, wheat is heat-sensitive, but often exposed to high temperatures during the cultivation period. In the current study, a bread wheat panel of spring wheat genotypes, including putatively heat-tolerant Australian and CIMMYT genotypes, was exposed to a 5-day mild (34°C/28°C, day/night) or extreme (37°C/27°C) heat stress during the sensitive pollen developmental stage. Worsening effects on anther morphology were observed, as heat stress increased from mild to extreme. Even under mild heat, a significant decrease in pollen viability and number of grains per spike from primary spike was observed compared with the control (21°C/15°C), with Sunstar and two CIMMYT breeding lines performing well. A heat-specific positive correlation between the two traits indicates the important role of pollen fertility for grain setting. Interestingly, both mild and extreme heat induced development of new tillers after the heat stress, providing an alternative sink for accumulated photosynthates and significantly contributing to the final yield. Measurements of flag leaf maximum potential quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) showed an initial inhibition after the heat treatment, followed by a full recovery within a few days. Despite this, model fitting using chlorophyll soil plant analysis development (SPAD) measurements showed an earlier onset or faster senescence rate under heat stress. The data presented here provide interesting entry points for further research into pollen fertility, tillering dynamics, and leaf senescence under heat. The identified heat-tolerant wheat genotypes can be used to dissect the underlying mechanisms and breed climate-resilient wheat.

Horizontal transmission and expression of Epichloë typhina in orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)

Choke disease, which is caused by Epichloë typhina, was first reported in orchardgrass seed production fields in the Willamette Valley, Oregon in 1997 and has continued to persist in the system. The disease can cause up to 30% losses in seed yield. Unlike many Epichloë species that are seed transmitted, it is unclear how infection of orchardgrass by E. typhina occurs in the field, or how the disease spreads within plants. In this study, the overall incidence of choke on trap plants placed in a choke-infested field was 41% in 2018 and 9% in 2019. Similar incidence of infection occurred when exposed before (39%) or after (43%) swathing in 2018. Contrary to our hypothesis, plants sprayed with an artificial honeydew had a significantly lower incidence of infection (32%) when compared to the controls (48%). An examination of the spread of E. typhina within tillering plants revealed that development of infected tillers was greater than development of uninfected tillers, which could contribute to the gradual increase in choke in fields over time. These studies contribute to a better understanding of how choke is spread within plants and in orchardgrass seed production fields, which is an important step towards developing control methods to reduce choke in orchardgrass seed production fields.

No-Tillage Promotes Wheat Seedling Growth and Grain Yield Compared with Plow–Rotary Tillage in a Rice–Wheat Rotation in the High Rainfall Region in China

Optimizing soil properties to match ecological conditions can alleviate stress damage and promote crop growth. However, the suitable soil conditions for wheat growth in an integrated rice–wheat breeding scheme under high rainfall and the mechanisms that affect yield production are not well known. Field experiments were carried out at two sites, which were all located in Jiangsu Province, China, a subtropical monsoon climate zone during two wheat growing seasons, to assess the effects of plow tillage followed by rotary tillage (PR) and no-tillage (NT) on soil physical and chemical properties, wheat seedling growth, grain yield, and spike amounts and quality. The finding indicates that with the reduction in soil mixing, soil bulk density was higher in NT than in PR, which helped to maintain moisture in dry soil. In soils with high water content, in NT, when the wheat field was subjected to waterlogging stress, the drainage decreased to deeper soil possibly due to reduced infiltration and a higher evaporation of surface water. The diurnal variation in soil temperature decreased in NT, and when the soil was cold, NT helped to insulate soils at 0–25 cm. Compared with PR, the contents of available nitrogen and phosphorus increased at 0–20 cm in NT. Root biomass and root activity of wheat seedlings at 0–20 cm were also greater in NT than in PR. Compared with PR, wheat also had more culms at the beginning of the overwintering stage, more spikes, and higher grain yield in NT, but the differences were not significant under excessive soil moisture. Therefore, the soil hydrothermal environment and spatial distributions of nutrients in NT promoted shallow root growth and tiller development in the early phase of wheat growth, which led to higher amounts of spikes per plant that resulted in high-yielding wheat crops.

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY: A REVIEW

Wheat is a crop consist of 15 grams of protein, 10.6 grams of dietary fiber, 71.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 38 milligrams of calcium. In the context of Nepal, it lies in the 3rd position as a cultivation crop. In 2020, wheat production for Nepal was 2,210 thousand tonnes. Wheat production in Nepal increased from 193 thousand tonnes in 1971 to 2,210 thousand tonnes in 2020 growing at an average annual rate of 5.73% but due to changes in climatic parameters productivity ratio are affected. Stem prolongation and tiller development were destroyed by minimum temperature in the earlier vegetative phase whereas the maximum temperature in the heading phase hampered wheat grain filling and panicle development. Rainfall decreased wheat yield, LAI (leaf area index), and plant height. Similarly, CO2 concentration and solar radiation have an impact on the yield of wheat also which is given in this article. Further studies are require to overcome the negative aspect of climatic change towards the plant development either from germination to yield period.

Morphological and Physiological Development of Organic Greenhouse Grown Ginger (<i>Zingiber officinalis</i>, Rosc) in a Temperate Climate as Influenced by Container and Transplant Origin

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) is a spice produced from underground rhizomes. This makes it necessary to consider the size of its growing area. There is limited information on the phenological development of the plant in containerized greenhouse conditions in temperate regions where natural daylength decreases as the growing season advances. This study determined the effects of container and rhizome sources on ginger shoot growth, chlorophyll concentration, leaf chlorophyll index, transpiration rate, and rhizome yield. Ginger, from non-tissue culture (O1) and tissue culture (O2) origins, were transplanted in a greenhouse in June 2019, 2020 and 2021, and monitored in five container types of different sizes. These were (C1) plastic Supertub (113.2 L), (C2) large Sterilite box (55.3 L), (C3) small Sterilite box (36.7 L), (C4) Husky heavy duty contractor plastic clean up bags (26.3 L) and (C5) Root Trapper Grounder Squat bag (27.9 L). The results did not show consistent trends for the effects of the respective size and origin combinations on most of the morphological characteristics, and all the physiological characteristics evaluated. Increasing container size increased the shoot biomass in all studies and increased fresh rhizome yield in two of three studies in the greenhouse. The effect of transplant origin was inconclusive, with a tissue culture advantage one year and no effect the other year. During the first 5 months after transplanting, the morphological development of tillers and height increased. Leaf chlorophyll index, chlorophyll concentration and stomatal conductance varied across sampling months, and within container and rhizome origin at individual sampling dates. The development of the plants in a greenhouse with decreasing natural day length posed a challenge as some plants senesced within 5 months after transplanting. Further opportunities to arrest senescence and extend growth should be introduced as another approach to extend growth and increase rhizome yield.

Key auxin response factor (ARF) genes constraining wheat tillering of mutant dmc.

Tillering ability is a key agronomy trait for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Studies on a dwarf monoculm wheat mutant (dmc) showed that ARF11 played an important role in tillering of wheat. In this study, a total of 67 ARF family members were identified and clustered to two main classes with four subgroups based on their protein structures. The promoter regions of T. aestivum ARF (TaARF) genes contain a large number of cis-acting elements closely related to plant growth and development, and hormone response. The segmental duplication events occurred commonly and played a major role in the expansion of TaARFs. The gene collinearity degrees of the ARFs between wheat and other grasses, rice and maize, were significantly high. The evolution distances among TaARFs determine their expression profiles, such as homoeologous genes have similar expression profiles, like TaARF4-3A-1, TaARF4-3A-2 and their homoeologous genes. The expression profiles of TaARFs in various tissues or organs indicated TaARF3, TaARF4, TaARF9 and TaARF22 and their homoeologous genes played basic roles during wheat development. TaARF4, TaARF9, TaARF12, TaARF15, TaARF17, TaARF21, TaARF25 and their homoeologous genes probably played basic roles in tiller development. qRT-PCR analyses of 20 representative TaARF genes revealed that the abnormal expressions of TaARF11 and TaARF14 were major causes constraining the tillering of dmc. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) contents in dmc were significantly less than that in Guomai 301 at key tillering stages. Exogenous IAA application significantly promoted wheat tillering, and affected the transcriptions of TaARFs. These data suggested that TaARFs as well as IAA signaling were involved in controlling wheat tillering. This study provided valuable clues for functional characterization of ARFs in wheat.

Divergent responses of tiller and grain yield to fertilization and fallow precipitation: Insights from a 28-year long-term experiment in a semiarid winter wheat system

Tillering is an important phenological stage, which is strongly related to the yield in spike components and final grain yield during winter wheat growth. Precipitation during the fallow season (fallow precipitation) influences tillering in winter wheat on the semi-arid Chinese Loess Plateau. However, little work has been done regarding tiller number changes under various types of fertilization and amounts of fallow precipitation on a long-term scale. Effects of fallow precipitation and fertilization on tiller were investigated in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system in a 28-year field study (1990 to 2017) in a semiarid agro-ecosystem. Tiller number, spike number and grain yield were measured in four fertilization conditions: control without fertilizer (CK); mineral nitrogen fertilizer alone (N); mineral phosphorus fertilizer alone (P); mineral nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer together (NP). Based on the long-term annual fallow precipitation, dry years (<mean annual fallow precipitation) and wet years (>mean annual fallow precipitation) were distinguished. Phosphorus fertilization alone significantly increased the mean annual tiller number (23%), and the increase in tiller number was higher in wet years (29%) than in the dry years (17%). However, nitrogen fertilization alone had little effect on mean tiller number, while nitrogen and phosphorus together significantly increased mean annual tiller number (30%), mean tiller number in wet years (45%) and mean tiller number in dry years (17%). Tiller number was significantly and positively correlated with fallow precipitation in dry years for all fertilizer treatments, whereas it was weakly and either positively or negatively correlated with fallow precipitation in wet years depending on the treatment. This study found positive correlations between tiller number and fallow precipitation in the CK and NP treatments, and it found negative correlations between tiller number and fallow precipitation in the treatments with nitrogen fertilization alone or phosphorous fertilization alone in wet years. Understanding the impacts of fallow precipitation and fertilization on tiller development shed light on ways to improve crop production in rain-fed agricultural regions.

A gene regulatory network for tiller development mediated by Tin8 in maize.

The complex gene regulatory network underlying tiller development in maize remains largely unknown. Here we identified two major quantitative trait loci for tiller number, Tin8 on chromosome 8 and the previously known Tb1 on chromosome 1, in a population derived from a teosinte-maize cross. Map-based cloning and association mapping revealed that Tin8, corresponding to Zcn8 encoding a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding-related kinase, is down-regulated in transcription, which results in decreased tiller number. A strong interaction between Tin8 and the key gen Tb1 was detected for tiller number. Further RNA-seq analysis showed that the expression of 13 genes related to tiller development was controlled by Tin8. Our results support the existence of a complex gene regulatory network for the outgrowth of the tiller bud in maize, in which Zcn8 controls 13 tiller-related genes, including four genes for hormonal responses. In particular, Zcn8 represses Gt1, D14, and Tru1 through the interaction with Tb1.

Effects of clipping frequency on tiller development of crested wheatgrass and hybrid bromegrass at vegetative and reproductive stages

Information on the tiller development of hybrid bromegrass (Bromus inermis × Bromus riparius) is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of clipping frequency at the vegetative and reproductive stages on the tiller development and concentrations of sugars of c.v ‘AC Knowles’ hybrid bromegrass compared with c.v ‘Kirk’ crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum L.). This experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using the tillers of the vernalized plants dug from the field. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Grasses were clipped once or four times at either vegetative or reproductive stage. Regardless of the growth stage, four clippings reduced the tiller number of hybrid bromegrass by 25.9% compared with the undefoliated control, while single clipping had no impact. The four clippings had no impact on the tiller number of crested wheatgrass, while single clipping increased its tiller number on average by 50.4% at both growth stages. Crested wheatgrass produced 16.6% more tillers than hybrid bromegrass under the single clipping. The two grass species had a similar number of axillary buds under different clipping treatments. The axillary bud size of crested wheatgrass was larger than hybrid bromegrass. All axillary buds were viable under the two clipping treatments for both grasses. Four clippings significantly decreased the stem base glucose concentration of the two grasses and the root sucrose concentration of crested wheatgrass. Hybrid bromegrass was less tolerant to frequent clippings than crested wheatgrass. Therefore, intensive grazing of hybrid bromegrass pasture may result in a thin stand.

Physiological causes of transplantation shock on rice growth inhibition and delayed heading

Transplanting is an important rice cultivation method; however, transplanting shock commonly affects grain yield, and the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of growth, development, and delayed heading caused by transplanting shock have not yet been clearly elucidated. Here, we investigated the effects of seedling age, temperature, and root damage during transplanting on growth, development, and time to heading, both under artificially controlled and natural day length. Additionally, we investigated the impact of seedling root growth space and the potential mitigating effects of residual seed nutrients on young transplanted seedlings. The delay in heading in transplanted versus directly seeded plants was affected more by growth inhibition during the seedling period than by root damage during transplanting. However, root damage had an effect on the inhibition of leaf and tiller development, and the ratio of leaves to tillers increased because tiller development was inhibited more by transplanting shock compared with leaf development. Based on these findings, we propose factors reflecting the delay in growth due to transplanting shock that should be included for more accurate rice phenology modeling and suggest advantageous seeding conditions and transplanting methods for improved rice cultivation and yield in response to climate change.

Influence of rice crop stage on the distribution of hymenopteran parasitoids of insect pests

A total of 43 insect parasitoid species belonging to fourteen families (Aphelinidae, Braconidae, Ceraphronidae, Diapriidae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae, Eurytomidae, Ichneumonidae, Megaspilidae, Mymaridae, Platygasteridae, Proctotrupidae, Pteromalidae, Trichogrammatidae) has been documented in the rice ecosystem using yellow pan trap. The observations were made at four important stages of rice crop like early tillering, active tillering, booting and panicle development. The parasitoids were also compared with the occurrence of sixteen insect pests that were recorded simultaneously in each stage of the crop. The result revealed that, there is a significant difference in the occurrence of parasitoids according to the stage of the crop and insect host availability. This understanding help in the introduction of specific parasitoids at respective stages for effective biocontrol.

Characterization of full-length transcriptome in Saccharum officinarum and molecular insights into tiller development

BackgroundAlthough extensive breeding efforts are ongoing in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), the average yield is far below the theoretical potential. Tillering is an important component of sugarcane yield, however, the molecular mechanism underlying tiller development is still elusive. The limited genomic data in sugarcane, particularly due to its complex and large genome, has hindered in-depth molecular studies.ResultsHerein, we generated full-length (FL) transcriptome from developing leaf and tiller bud samples based on PacBio Iso-Seq. In addition, we performed RNA-seq from tiller bud samples at three developmental stages (T0, T1 and T2) to uncover key genes and biological pathways involved in sugarcane tiller development. In total, 30,360 and 20,088 high-quality non-redundant isoforms were identified in leaf and tiller bud samples, respectively, representing 41,109 unique isoforms in sugarcane. Likewise, we identified 1063 and 1037 alternative splicing events identified in leaf and tiller bud samples, respectively. We predicted the presence of coding sequence for 40,343 isoforms, 98% of which was successfully annotated. Comparison with previous FL transcriptomes in sugarcane revealed 2963 unreported isoforms. In addition, we characterized 14,946 SSRs from 11,700 transcripts and 310 lncRNAs. By integrating RNA-seq with the FL transcriptome, 468 and 57 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified in T1vsT0 and T2vsT0, respectively. Strong up-regulation of several pyruvate phosphate dikinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase genes suggests enhanced carbon fixation and protein synthesis to facilitate tiller growth. Similarly, up-regulation of linoleate 9S-lipoxygenase and lipoxygenase genes in the linoleic acid metabolism pathway suggests high synthesis of key oxylipins involved in tiller growth and development.ConclusionsCollectively, we have enriched the genomic data available in sugarcane and provided candidate genes for manipulating tiller formation and development, towards productivity enhancement in sugarcane.