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Rht and TB1 alleles controlling plant height and tillering in hexaploid wheat

Technology

In development

University

Reduced-height and tillering alleles for grain, forage, and dual-purpose hexaploid wheat that lift forage yields up to 18% while maintaining or increasing protein.

Novel gene mutations have been identified to optimize production and quality for both grain and forage production.

Background

The ability to increase wheat yield without reducing protein content and quality is paramount to increasing economic returns for wheat growers. Dr. Norman Borlaugh and the "Green Revolution" of the 1950's and 1960's focused largely on identifying the genes that control plant height and tillering (the production of more than one stem per seed). Modern semi-dwarf varieties have approximately 10-14% higher yields compared to the standard height varieties that preceded the Green Revolution because the plants focus more energy on seed production than stem growth. In addition, improvements in tillering have helped optimize the balance between the number of stems and the amount and quality of seed produced. Also, the ability to tailor plant height and tillering has direct implications for forage wheat varieties and dual-purpose winter wheats that are grazed by livestock in the fall and grown out for seed harvest the subsequent year.

Technology Overview

Montana State University (MSU) has identified a suite of Reduced Height (Rht) and Teosinte Branched 1 (TB1) gene mutations that can be applied individually or stacked to create optimal height and tillering balances without sacrificing yield and quality. MSU's novel Rht and TB1 alleles have applications in hexaploid wheat for grain producing, forage, and dual-purpose winter forage/grain varieties. For example, the Rht alleles can increase hexaploid wheat tillering without dragging down protein for grain producing varieties. However, there is great potential to improve forage and dual-purpose varieties. Applications of MSU's TB1 mutants in durum have generated increased tillering with up to 17% increased grain yield with no change in seed size or protein content:

Similar increases are anticipated in hexaploid wheat. The result would be higher forage yields for forage varieties, and more grazeable biomass without a reduction in seed protein levels for dual-purpose winter wheats. For grain producing varieties, a combination of one MSU TB1 knockout and one MSU Rht allele bred into a full height or semi-dwarf wheat is anticipated to produce optimal results.

Because Rht and TB1 affect different mechanisms within plants, the alleles of each can be employed in various combinations to fine tune plant height and tillering for the purposes of maximizing economic return. Most current options involve tradeoffs between yield and seed protein. MSU's innovations have demonstrated the ability to increase yield without sacrificing protein quality. In fact, in many instances, protein levels are not only maintained but actually increased.

Benefits

Increased grain and/or forage yield while maintaining or even increasing seed protein
Not genetically modified (Non-GMO) solutions to optimize variety performance
Rht and TB1 discoveries can be stacked to fine tune varieties
Ability to produce intermediate height durum varieties that are optimal for prime growing regions in Montana, North Dakota, and Canada
Potential to improve forage yields 18% without sacrificing seed yield or quality in dual-purpose varieties

Applications

Plant breeding
Grain production
Forage production
Dual-purpose wheat production

Opportunity

Available for license
Potential to collaborate in ongoing research
Potential to introduce MSU's Rht and TB1 innovations into partner's proprietary recurrent parent lines

About Montana State University

Montana State University's substantial research enterprise growth has been accompanied by focused investments in innovation and research translation, creating new opportunities for companies to engage with MSU research and expertise. A particular strength is MSU’s network of specialized centers, institutes, and industry-accessible core facilities, which bring together multidisciplinary expertise, advanced research infrastructure, testing capabilities, and established pathways for working with industry partners. MSU is one of a select group of universities participating in the NSF's Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program, which is building the capacity and infrastructure needed to translate more research discoveries into solutions with real-world impact. The growing MSU Innovation Campus and expanding incubator infrastructure provide additional opportunities for university-industry interaction, startup development, and technology-focused companies. These efforts are complemented by MSU’s Technology Transfer Office, which works with researchers and companies to protect and license MSU inventions and facilitate industry-sponsored research collaborations.