ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0701-8129
Current Organisations
University of Adelaide
,
Shandong Agricultural University
,
Murdoch University
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Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-02-2022
DOI: 10.3390/IJMS23042206
Abstract: Allotetraploid durum wheat is the second most widely cultivated wheat, following hexaploid bread wheat, and is one of the major protein and calorie sources of the human diet. However, durum wheat is encountered with a severe grain yield bottleneck due to the erosion of genetic ersity stemming from long-term domestication and especially modern breeding programs. The improvement of yield and grain quality of durum wheat is crucial when confronted with the increasing global population, changing climate environments, and the non-ignorable increasing incidence of wheat-related disorders. This review summarized the domestication and evolution process and discussed the durum wheat re-evolution attempts performed by global researchers using diploid einkorn, tetraploid emmer wheat, hexaploid wheat (particularly the D-subgenome), etc. In addition, the re-evolution of durum wheat would be promoted by the genetic enrichment process, which could ersify allelic combinations through enhancing chromosome recombination (pentaploid hybridization or pairing of homologous chromosomes gene Ph mutant line induced homoeologous recombination) and environmental adaptability via alien introgressive genes (wide cross or distant hybridization followed by embryo rescue), and modifying target genes or traits by molecular approaches, such as CRISPR/Cas9 or RNA interference (RNAi). A brief discussion of the future perspectives for exploring germplasm for the modern improvement and re-evolution of durum wheat is included.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 30-09-2021
Abstract: Durum wheat is one of the important food and cash crops. The main goals in current breeding programs are improving its low yield potential, kernel characteristics, and lack of resistance or tolerance to some biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a nascent synthesized hexaploid wheat Lanmai/AT23 is used as the female parent in crosses with its AB genome donor Lanmai. A tetraploid line YL-443 with supernumerary spikelets and high resistance to stripe rust was selected out from the pentaploid F 7 progeny. Somatic analysis using multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (mc-FISH) revealed that this line is a disomic substitution line with the 4B chromosome pair of Lanmai replaced by the 4D chromosome pair of Aegilops tauschii AT23. Comparing with Lanmai, YL-443 shows an increase in the number of spikelets and florets per spike by 36.3 and 75.9%, respectively. The stripe rust resistance gene Yr28 carried on the 4D chromosome was fully expressed in the tetraploid background. The present 4D(4B) disomic substitution line YL-443 was distinguished from the previously reported 4D(4B) lines with the 4D chromosomes from Chinese Spring (CS). Our study demonstrated that YL-443 can be used as elite germplasm for durum wheat breeding targeting high yield potential and stripe rust resistance. The Yr28 -specific PCR marker and the 4D chromosome-specific KASP markers together with its unique features of pubescent leaf sheath and auricles can be utilized for assisting selection in breeding.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 07-07-2021
Abstract: For improving lodging resistance and increasing grain yield in wheat in the Yellow-Huai River Basin in China, different sowing modes have been investigated. Conventionally, the small-flat-plot sowing mode has been adopted in wheat cultivation. However, this sowing mode leads to heavy lodging and low land use efficiency. In this study, a new sowing mode, high-low-plot sowing mode with two more rows sowed on the high plot, was investigated. Two cultivars, Hengguan 35 and Jimai 44 were used for two seasonal field experiments from 2018 to 2020. The results showed that grain yield improved with the high-low sowing mode by as much as 25% since more spikes per unit area were observed concomitant with reduced stem lodging. The grain yield increase was mainly due to the enhanced spike number per m2, while the lodging resistance was improved through the lowered plant height and the center of gravity height. This research proves that the high-low-plot sowing mode is an improved sowing mode for producing greater grain yield with better lodging resistance in the wheat production area in northern China.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-04-2021
DOI: 10.3390/IJMS22084206
Abstract: The various crop species are major agricultural products and play an indispensable role in sustaining human life. Over a long period, breeders strove to increase crop yield and improve quality through traditional breeding strategies. Today, many breeders have achieved remarkable results using modern molecular technologies. Recently, a new gene-editing system, named the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology, has also succeeded in improving crop quality. It has become the most popular tool for crop improvement due to its versatility. It has accelerated crop breeding progress by virtue of its precision in specific gene editing. This review summarizes the current application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in crop quality improvement. It includes the modulation in appearance, palatability, nutritional components and other preferred traits of various crops. In addition, the challenge in its future application is also discussed.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 23-12-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 03-11-2021
Abstract: In the present study, four large-scale field trials using two doubled haploid wheat populations were conducted in different environments for two years. Grain protein content (GPC) and 21 other yield-related traits were investigated. A total of 227 QTL were mapped on 18 chromosomes, which formed 35 QTL clusters. The potential candidate genes underlying the QTL clusters were suggested. Furthermore, adding to the significant correlations between yield and its related traits, correlation variations were clearly shown within the QTL clusters. The QTL clusters with consistently positive correlations were suggested to be directly utilized in wheat breeding, including 1B.2, 2A.2, 2B (4.9–16.5 Mb), 2B.3, 3B (68.9–214.5 Mb), 4A.2, 4B.2, 4D, 5A.1, 5A.2, 5B.1, and 5D. The QTL clusters with negative alignments between traits may also have potential value for yield or GPC improvement in specific environments, including 1A.1, 2B.1, 1B.3, 5A.3, 5B.2 (612.1–613.6 Mb), 7A.1, 7A.2, 7B.1, and 7B.2. One GPC QTL (5B.2: 671.3–672.9 Mb) contributed by cultivar Spitfire was positively associated with nitrogen use efficiency or grain protein yield and is highly recommended for breeding use. Another GPC QTL without negatively pleiotropic effects on 2A (50.0–56.3 Mb), 2D, 4D, and 6B is suggested for quality wheat breeding.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 31-07-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FPLS.2023.1171839
Abstract: Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity is a major cause of the undesirable brown color of wheat-based products. Ppo1 , a major gene for PPO activity, was cloned based on sequence homology in previous studies however, its function and regulation mechanism remain unclear. In this study, the function and genetic regulation of Ppo1 were analyzed using RNA interference (RNAi) and Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING) technology, and superior mutants were identified. Compared with the control, the level of Ppo1 transcript in RNAi transgenic lines was drastically decreased by 15.5%–60.9% during grain development, and PPO activity was significantly reduced by 12.9%–20.4%, confirming the role of Ppo1 in PPO activity. Thirty-two Ppo1 mutants were identified in the ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized population, including eight missense mutations, 16 synonymous mutations, and eight intron mutations. The expression of Ppo1 was reduced significantly by 6.7%–37.1% and 10.1%–54.4% in mutants M092141 (G311S) and M091098 (G299R), respectively, in which PPO activity was decreased by 29.7% and 28.8%, respectively, indicating that mutation sites of two mutants have important effects on PPO1 function. Sequence and structure analysis revealed that the two sites were highly conserved among 74 plant species, where the frequency of glycine was 94.6% and 100%, respectively, and adjacent to the entrance of the hydrophobic pocket of the active site. The M092141 and M091098 mutants can be used as important germplasms to develop wheat cultivars with low grain PPO activity. This study provided important insights into the molecular mechanism of Ppo1 and the genetic improvement of wheat PPO activity.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-05-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00122-023-04372-4
Abstract: The vacuolar processing enzyme gene TaVPE3cB is identified as a candidate gene for a QTL of wheat pith-thickness on chromosome 3B by BSR-seq and differential expression analyses. The high pith-thickness (PT) of the wheat stem could greatly enhance stem mechanical strength, especially the basal internodes which support the heavier upper part, such as upper stems, leaves and spikes. A QTL for PT in wheat was previously discovered on 3BL in a double haploid population of ‘Westonia’ × ‘Kauz’. Here, a bulked segregant RNA-seq analysis was applied to identify candidate genes and develop associated SNP markers for PT. In this study, we aimed at screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and SNPs in the 3BL QTL interval. Sixteen DEGs were obtained based on BSR-seq and differential expression analyses. Twenty-four high-probability SNPs in eight genes were identified by comparing the allelic polymorphism in mRNA sequences between the high PT and low PT s les. Among them, six genes were confirmed to be associated with PT by qRT-PCR and sequencing. A putative vacuolar processing enzyme gene TaVPE3cB was screened out as a potential PT candidate gene in Australian wheat ‘Westonia’. A robust SNP marker associated with TaVPE3cB was developed, which can assist in the introgression of TaVPE3cB.b in wheat breeding programs. In addition, we also discussed the function of other DEGs which may be related to pith development and programmed cell death (PCD). A five-level hierarchical regulation mechanism of stem pith PCD in wheat was proposed.
No related grants have been discovered for HANG LIU.