Manipulation of the microRNA172 - AP2L2 interaction provides precise control of wheat and triticale plant height

Abstract

The REDUCED HEIGHT (RHT) dwarfing alleles Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b were essential in the “Green Revolution” to optimize wheat plant height and increase grain yield. However, those alleles reduce coleoptile length limiting sowing depth, which triggered the search for alternative dwarfing genes. In this study, we engineered the interaction between miR172 and AP2L2 genes to fine-tune wheat and triticale plant height without affecting coleoptile and first-leaf length.