Meiotic instability and irregular chromosome pairing underpin heat‐induced infertility in bread wheat carrying the Rht‐B1b or Rht‐D1b Green Revolution genes

Cseh, András and Lenykó‐Thegze, Andrea and Makai, Diána and Szabados, Fanni and Hamow, Kamirán Áron and Gulyás, Zsolt and Kiss, Tibor and Karsai, Ildikó and Moncsek, Blanka and Mihók, Edit and Sepsi, Adél (2024) Meiotic instability and irregular chromosome pairing underpin heat‐induced infertility in bread wheat carrying the Rht‐B1b or Rht‐D1b Green Revolution genes. New Phytologist, 241 (1). pp. 180-196. ISSN 0028-646X

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Abstract

Mutations in the Rht-B1a and Rht-D1a genes of wheat (Triticum aestivum; resulting in Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b alleles) cause gibberellin-insensitive dwarfism and are one of the most important elements of increased yield introduced during the ‘Green Revolution’. We measured the effects of a short period of heat imposed during the early reproductive stage on near-isogenic lines carrying Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b alleles, with respect to the wild-type (WT). The temperature shift caused a significant fertility loss within the ears of Rht-B1b and RhtD1b wheats, greater than that observed for the WT. Defects in chromosome synapsis, reduced homologous recombination and a high frequency of chromosome mis-segregation were associated with reduced fertility. The transcription of TaGA3ox gene involved in the final stage of gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthesis was activated and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry identified GA1 as the dominant bioactive GA in developing ears, but levels were unaffected by the elevated temperature. Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b mutants were inclined to meiotic errors under optimal temperatures and showed a higher susceptibility to heat than their tall counterparts. Identification and introduction of new dwarfing alleles into modern breeding programmes is invaluable in the development of climate-resilient wheat varieties.

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