** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECT USES TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1 (TB1) MUTATIONS TO INCREASE PLANT BIOMASS AND SEED YIELD IN ELITE WHEAT VARIETIES. TB1 IS A GENE THAT INFLUENCES TILLERING IN CEREAL PLANTS.THERE ARE FEW KNOWN NATURAL TB1 ALLELES FOR WHEAT AND NONE THAT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY IN FUNCTION. FURTHERMORE, TIGHT LINKAGE BETWEEN TB1 AND REDUCED HEIGHT 1, A MAJOR HEIGHT GENE, HAS INHIBITED SELECTION OF NEW ALLELES. CHEMICALLY INDUCED TB1 MUTANTS HAVE ALLOWED US TO TEST THE IMPACT OF REDUCED TB1 DOSAGE IN FIXED RHT BACKGROUNDS. OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS TO DATEINDICATE THAT REDUCING TB1 FUNCTION INCREASES PRODUCTIVE TILLERS AND PLANT BIOMASS BY >10%. IN THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE NEAR ISOGENIC LINES (NILS) VARYING FOR TB1 ALLELES IN SPRING, WINTER, AND DURUM WHEAT STANDARD AND SEMI-DWARF BACKGROUNDS. WE WILL THEN TEST ALL NILS ACROSS MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, ENVIRONMENTS, AND PLANTING DENSITIES TO IDENTIFY TB1 ALLELIC COMBINATIONS BEST SUITED FOR GROWTH IN TARGET ENVIRONMENTS. OUR APPROACH WILL MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVETILLERS AND GRAIN YIELD POTENTIAL. ALL GENOTYPES DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO WHEAT BREEDING PROGRAMS AND LEAD TO YIELD ENHANCED VARIETIES. THIS WILL BENEFIT GROWERS, THE STATE, AND NATIONAL ECONOMY. TILLERING POTENTIAL IS A FLUID TRAIT THAT CAN BE QUITE RESILIENT, WITH THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE. THIS IS AN EVER-IMPORTANT QUALITY WHEN WORKING TOWARD US AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY.

Montana State University, Bozeman MT

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