China
September 7, 2015

According to a recent study led by Professor Wang Hanzhong, a researcher of Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the auxin-response factor 18 (ARF18) gene in Brassica napus L could control the seed weight (SW) without changing its pod number and influence the yield as a result. The study laid the foundation for molecular design and breeding of high-yield rapeseed varieties. ARF18 is considered the first yield gene in polyploidy crops acquired by map-based cloning, providing insights for cloning technologies of other polyploidy crops like wheat and cotton. The study was published in the famous international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 31. 

The study was funded by the 973 Program and 863 Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Rapeseed Industry Technology System and CAAS Innovation Program.

REFERENCE

Natural variation in ARF18 gene simultaneously affects seed weight and silique length in polyploid rapeseed 

Website: http://www.caas.net.cn/caas/

Published: September 7, 2015