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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306095

Title: Multi-seeded sorghum mutants as a novel trait to boost grain yield

Author
item Xin, Zhanguo
item Burow, Gloria
item Hayes, Chad
item Burke, John

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2014
Publication Date: 9/21/2014
Citation: Xin, Z., Burow, G.B., Hayes, C.M., Burke, J.J. 2014. Multi-seeded Sorghum Mutants as a Novel Trait to Boost Grain Yield [abstract]. First International Conference on Genomics, Traits, and Business; Charolotte, North Carolina, September 24-27, 2014. p1.04.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) has highly branched panicles with primary, secondary, and tertiary branches. The flower branch ends with a terminal triplet spikelet, one sessile spikelet that is directly attached to the branch and two pedicellate spikelets that are attached to the branch through a short pedicel, followed by one or more spikelet pairs (one sessile and one pedicellate). In BTx623 and most other known lines, only the sessile spikelets can develop into seeds and the pedicellate spikelets, occasionally develop anthers, will eventually abort. We isolated a series of multi-seeded (msd) mutants, in which all spikelets are fertile. In addition, the mutants displayed increased length and total number of primary and secondary inflorescence branches. In most of the msd mutants, the seed number per panicle increased by three fold as the wild type BTx623 and the seed weight per panicle doubled. All msd mutations are monogenic recessive. Ongoing genetic complementation indicates these msd mutants represent at least three loci. We are in the process of cloning the first complementation group, MSD1. This collection of mutants may serve as an important genetic resource to boost sorghum grain yield and unravel mechanisms of the abortion of pedicellate florets in many grass species.