Renliang Zhang, Ruifeng Guo, Hui Zhi, Sha Tang, Liwei Wang, Yuemei Ren, guangbing Ren, Shou Zhang, Jing Feng, Xianmin Diao, Guanqing Jia

Plant Biotechnology Journal; 2025; IF:10.1

DOI: 10.1111/pbi.70037

Abstract

Foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) Beauv] is a significant cereal crop grown worldwide for grain food and forage consumption. The limited focus on enhancing plant architecture within the natural variations of this ancient species has impeded substantial yield advancements over the last century. Ligule developmental defects in foxtail millet have not been previously reported and natural variations of Liguleless1 (LG1) and Liguleless2 (LG2) showing no impact on leaf ligule formation in foxtail millet. In this study, we successfully utilized genomic editing approach to introduce novel alleles of SiLG1 and Liguleless2 (LG2) to obtain a more compact architecture in foxtail millet. Both silg1 and silg2 mutants displayed incomplete lamina joints, resulting in reduced leaf angles and a denser structure. Transcriptomic profiling and phytohormone measurements unveiled a disruption of auxin synthesis and signaling transduction in silg1 and silg2. Field-based phenotypic assessments of silg1 and silg2 have confirmed the utility of the newly created alleles as potentially valuable genetic assets for elevating the yield potential of foxtail millet by increasing plant density through a more compact architectural framework.