Publications of NIPGR Scientists

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    Shaping the future: Unravelling regulators modulating plant architecture for next-generation crops
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Kumbhakar, Rajib; Mondal, Mayulika; Thakro, Virevol; Tripathi, Shailesh; Parida, Swarup K.
    Plant architecture traits in crops are modulated through intricate interactions of various genetic pathways, which helps them to adapt to diverse environmental conditions. Key developmental pathways involved in forming plant architecture include the LAZY-TAC (Tiller Angle Control) module regulating branch and tiller angle, the CLAVATA-WUSCHEL pathway controlling shoot apical meristem fate and the GID1-DELLA pathway governing plant height and tillering in major food crops. These pathways function in concert to shape the overall architecture of plants, which is essential for optimizing light capture, resource allocation, reproductive success and eventual crop yield enhancement. Presently, plant architecture of modern crops has been shaped especially by artificial selection of natural alleles that target yield traits. Recent advances in CRISPR-Cas-based genome editing and genomics-assisted breeding strategies have enabled precise genetic manipulation of natural alleles in the functionally relevant genes regulating plant architecture traits in crops. This will assist researchers to select and introgress superior natural alleles in popular cultivars strategically for restructuring their desirable plant-types suitable for mechanical harvesting as well as enhancing the crop yield potential.
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    Heterotrimeric Gα subunit regulates plant architecture, organ size and seed weight in the oilseed Brassica juncea
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2020) Kumar, Roshan; Bisht, Naveen C.
    Key message Two BjuGα proteins exhibit conserved GTP-binding and GTP-hydrolysis activities, and function in maintaining overall plant architecture and controlling multiple yield-related traits in the oilseed Brassica juncea. Abstract Heterotrimeric G-protein (Gα, Gβ and Gγ) are key signal transducers, well characterized in model plants Arabidopsis and rice. However, our knowledge about the roles played by G-proteins in regulating various growth and developmental traits in polyploid crops, having a complex G-protein signalling network, is quite sparse. In the present study, two Gα encoding genes (BjuA.Gα1 and BjuB.Gα1) were isolated from the allotetraploid Brassica juncea, a globally cultivated oilseed crop of the Brassicaceae family. BjuGα1 genes share a close evolutionary relationship, and the encoded proteins exhibit highly conserved G-protein activities while showing expression diferentiation, wherein BjuA.Gα1 was the highly abundant transcript during plant growth and developmental stages. RNAi based suppression of BjuGα1 displayed compromised efects on most of the tested vegetative and reproductive parameters, particularly plant height (32–58%), fower and siliques dimensions, and seed weight (11–13%). Further, over-expression of a constitutively active Gα, lacking the GTPase activity, produced plants with increased height, organ size and seed weight (7–25%), without altering seed quality traits like fatty acid composition, glucosinolates, oil and protein contents. Our study demonstrates that BjuGα1 proteins control overall plant architecture and multiple yield-related traits in the oilseed B. juncea, suggesting that BjuGα1 could be a promising target for crop improvement.
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    Enhancing crop yield by optimizing plant developmental features
    (The Company of Biologists, 2016) Mathan, Jyotirmaya; Bhattacharya, Juhi; Ranjan, Aashish
    A number of plant features and traits, such as overall plant architecture, leaf structure and morphological features, vascular architecture and flowering time are important determinants of photosynthetic efficiency and hence the overall performance of crop plants. The optimization of such developmental traits thus has great potential to increase biomass and crop yield. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of these developmental traits in crop plants, summarizing their genetic regulation and highlighting the potential of manipulating these traits for crop improvement. We also briefly review the effects of domestication on the developmental features of crop plants. Finally, we discuss the potential of functional genomics-based approaches to optimize plant developmental traits to increase yield.