Mapping of dwarfing gene and identification of mutant allele on plant height in wheat

Plant height is one of the most critical factors influencing wheat plant architecture, and the application of Green Revolution genes has led to a reduction in plant height and an increase in yield. Discovering new dwarfing genes and alleles can contribute to enhance the genetic diversity of wheat. Here we obtained an EMS induced dwarf wheat mutant je0166 with increased grain weight, which exhibited a reduction in plant height ranging from 46.47% to 49.40%, and its cell length was shorter. The mutant je0166 was sensitive to exogenous gibberellin, but its sensitivity was lower than that of its wild type. Genetic analysis on plant height and gene mapping located the target region to a 4.07 cM interval on chr. 4AL. Within this interval, we identified a co-segregated mutation in Rht-A1h, which is a novel allele of the Green Revolution gene Rht-A1. We also found large fragment inversions in the genetic map of the mutant. The novel allele diversifies natural allelic variations and could be utilized in future wheat improvement. Furthermore, we demonstrated that chemical mutagen treatment led to large fragment inversion.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01515-3.