谷子最佳的抽穗开花时间在很大程度上决定了其对局部环境和栽培地域扩张的适应，对谷子生产至关重要。为了解析谷子抽穗开花调控的分子机制，我们从EMS突变体库中筛选到3个早熟突变体和1个晚熟突变体。其中，早熟突变体ehm1抽穗期提前60天左右，ehm2和ehm3提前30天左右；而晚熟突变体lhm1抽穗期延迟了20天左右。此外，这些突变体株高、分蘖数和产量等也受到了影响。本项目拟首先对这些突变体进行遗传分析和表型分析，明确光周期和温度等因素对其抽穗开花的影响；然后利用RNA-Seq技术分析突变体差异表达的基因，探讨其遗传调控网络；利用基于高通量测序的MutMap+技术克隆候选基因，并探讨其在谷子抽穗开花调控网络中的功能和地位；最后，分析这些基因的功能核苷酸多态性，解析抽穗期控制的适应性遗传变异及分子机制。本项目的实施不仅有助于解析谷子抽穗期调控的分子机制，还将为高产广适谷子新品种的培育奠定理论基础。

Adaptation of foxtail millet to local environments and the expansion of their cultivation area is largely determined by optimal heading date or flowering time, which is essential to the success in production of foxtail millet. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of heading date in foxtail millet, we isolated three early maturing and one late maturing mutants from an EMS mutant library. Among them, the mutant ehm1, ehm2 and ehm3 had an early heading date of 60, 30, and 30 days respectively; while the mutant lhm1 delayed heading for about 20 days, compared to the wild type. In addition, the plant height, number of tillers and yield traits of these mutants were also affected. The proposed project is to firstly conduct genetic analysis and phenotype characterization of these mutants to determine the effects of photoperiod and temperature on heading date. The differentially expressed genes will be then identified using RNA-Seq in the mutants, and genetic regulatory network will be subsequently analyzed. Furthermore, the candidate genes will be cloned by high-throughput sequencing based MutMap+ technology.The relationship of these four genes and other key heading or flowering regulating genes will be examined to clarify the functional role of these genes in the regulatory network of heading date in foxtail millet. Finally, functional nucleotide polymorphisms in these genes will be analyzed to elucidate the adaptive genetic variation in heading date control and the underlying molecular mechanisms. The proposed study will not only shed novel insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling heading date, but also lay a theoretical foundation for breeding new foxtail millet varieties with high yield and wide adaptation to the environment.