Regulation of Barley Architecture by HvAP2-like Transaction Factors

A cereal plant's architecture has a huge impact on how much grain it will produce, and how easily it can be harvested. To meet ever-increasing global grain demand, we must rapidly develop higher-yielding cereal varieties. Our research helps this effort by identifying the genes controlling architectural traits important for yield and revealing their molecular mechanisms using barley as a model system. In this project, we are investigating the function of a group of architectural genes known to control grain number, stem growth and traits associated with resiliency in maize and rice, but about which little is known in barley. We plan to determine the effect of altering each gene's function in barley to reveal the trait(s) controlled by each gene. In addition, we will determine how these genes are regulated and how they interact to control plant architecture and their downstream mechanisms. This research will advance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying cereal plant architecture and link key genes with traits important for yield, acting to inform molecular breeding methods and accelerate the development of higher-yielding crops.