Enhancing rice panicle branching and grain yield through tissue-specific brassinosteroid inhibition. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38452087/)

These scientists wanted to understand how to make rice plants produce more grains. They found that a substance called brassinosteroids can make grains bigger, but they were not sure if it also affects the number of grains produced. To figure this out, they studied a type of rice plant that grows clustered spikelets.

What the scientists discovered was that by activating a specific gene called BRASSINOSTEROID-DEFICIENT DWARF3 (BRD3), they could make the rice plant produce more grains. They also uncovered a pathway in which another substance called GSK3/SHAGGY-LIKE KINASE2 helps in stabilizing a transcriptional factor called OsMADS1, which then targets a gene called RICE CENTRORADIALIS2. This process ultimately leads to more grains being produced in the rice plant.

By activating the BRD3 gene in specific parts of the plant called secondary branch meristems, the scientists were able to increase the number of branches in the rice plant's panicle, which is where the grains grow. This resulted in more grains being produced without negatively affecting their size. In simple terms, they found a way to make rice plants produce more grains by manipulating specific genes in certain parts of the plant. This study shows how scientists can use this knowledge to help increase the amount of rice that can be grown.

Zhang X., Meng W., Liu D., Pan D., Yang Y., Chen Z., Ma X., Yin W., Niu M., Dong N., Liu J., Shen W., Liu Y., Lu Z., Chu C., Qian Q., Zhao M., Tong H. Enhancing rice panicle branching and grain yield through tissue-specific brassinosteroid inhibition. Science. 2024 Mar 8;383(6687):eadk8838. doi: 10.1126/science.adk8838. Epub 2024 Mar 8.