Molecular, genetic and phenotypic analysis of an early-heading mutant in diploid einkorn wheat

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In cereal breeding, optimal adaptation to a given environment and subsequently high yield potential is mainly determined by the time of flowering. Time to flowering, however, is commonly affected by a complex interplay between three determinants: photoperiodic and vernalization requirements as well as the intrinsic capability of a cultivar/genotype to flower. The intrinsic capability to flower early is also called ‚earliness per se’. Here we would like to investigate an earlyheading mutant from diploid einkorn wheat (T. monococcum L.), line KT3-5, which possesses a single major recessive earliness per se (eps) locus on the very distal end of the long arm of chromosome 3A. During the proposed project we will (i) perform detailed phenotypic analyses and high-resolution genetic mapping of the early-heading mutant KT3-5 in diploid einkorn wheat, (ii) identify and isolate novel grass-specific genes/proteins which affect early spike development, controlling flowering time and spikelet number, and (iii) study the expression pattern, tissue-specificity and function of candidate gene(s) during early spike development. The molecular isolation of genes involved in early spike development will make an important contribution to future fine-tuning of flowering time in small grain cereal crops by providing a better understanding of the developmental genetic processes underlying heading time and spikelet number in wheat and related grasses.