Gene

Agriculture

Ecology

Biotechnology

Biology

Identification (biology)

Botany

Computational biology

Genetics

Crop

Arabidopsis

Crop productivity

Crop yield

Mutant

Agronomy

Oryza sativa

Grain yield

Brassinosteroid

Trends in Plant Science

Regulation of various functions by BR involves specific components or pathways, depending on tissues and developmental stages. These specific components or pathways are mostly branched at the two nodes of the BR primary signaling pathway: GSK3-like kinases and BZR1-like TFs. These branched pathways exhibit complicated relationships with each other involving independency, interdependency, antagonism, redundancy, and competitiveness. Manipulation of specific BR responses can be used to obtain desired beneficial traits with few adverse effects and thus can be utilized for crop improvement. Brassinosteroid (BR) regulates many important agronomic traits and thus has great potential in agriculture. However, BR application is limited due to its complex effects on plants. The identification of specific downstream BR components and pathways in the crop plant rice (Oryza sativa) further demonstrates the feasibility of modulating BR responses to obtain desirable traits for breeding. Here, we review advances on how BR regulates various biological processes or agronomic traits such as plant architecture and grain yield in rice. We discuss how these functional specificities of BR can and could be utilized to enhance plant performance and productivity. We propose that unraveling the mechanisms underlying the diverse BR functions will favor BR application in molecular design for crop improvement. Brassinosteroid (BR) regulates many important agronomic traits and thus has great potential in agriculture. However, BR application is limited due to its complex effects on plants. The identification of specific downstream BR components and pathways in the crop plant rice (Oryza sativa) further demonstrates the feasibility of modulating BR responses to obtain desirable traits for breeding. Here, we review advances on how BR regulates various biological processes or agronomic traits such as plant architecture and grain yield in rice. We discuss how these functional specificities of BR can and could be utilized to enhance plant performance and productivity. We propose that unraveling the mechanisms underlying the diverse BR functions will favor BR application in molecular design for crop improvement. an analysis method used to associate a certain trait with a polymorphism in genome sequences using a population containing plants with a diversity of genetic backgrounds. translocation of photosynthetic products from source tissues (net exporters of fixed carbon, such as mature leaves) to sink tissues (net importers of fixed carbon, such as seeds) and synthesis of storage substances there by assimilation. a tiny tissue connecting the leaf blade and leaf sheath whose development results in bending of the leaf blade, forming an angle between the leaf blade and the culm axis. a plant line with a genetic background similar to one variety but containing desired loci derived from another variety, which was usually developed by continuous backcrossing and selection of the loci. a genomic segment, equivalent to a gene in most cases, correlated with the variation of one certain trait. a region in the growing shoot apex containing undifferentiated cells.

Functional Specificities of Brassinosteroid and Potential Utilization for Crop Improvement