Summary
Two wheat cultivars, Spica and Lerma 52, which consistently produce high levels of α-amylase during the later stages of grain development (late maturity α-amylase), were crossed with a set of four near-isogenic lines carrying the tall (rht) allele or one of the dwarfing genes Rht1, Rht2 or Rht3 (GA-insensitive alleles). The F1 and F2 populations were developed and analysed for grain α-amylase and plant height. The Rht3 gene exhibited the strongest influence on plant height and strongly inhibited new α-amylase synthesis during the later part of grain ripening. By comparison, Rht1 and Rht2 had a less pronounced effect but still significantly reduced the expression of late maturity α-amylase. These observations suggest that gibberellic acid is involved either directly or indirectly in this phenomenon. The implications of the effect of dwarfing genes on expression of late maturity α-amylase are discussed in relation to cultivar improvement and to the identification and control of high α-amylase germplasm.
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Mrva, K., Mares, D.J. Expression of late maturity α-amylase in wheat containing gibberellic acid insensitivity genes. Euphytica 88, 69–76 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029267
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029267