Researchers pinpoint gene that 'improves rice yields'

BEIJING] Scientists have identified a gene that contributes to the size and weight of rice grains. Publishing their results online in Nature Genetics (28 September), the scientists — led by He Zuhua of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences — hope their finding can be used to improve rice yields. 'Grain-filling' — increasing the mass of rice grains — is an important trait that contributes to grain weight and therefore yield, but it is unclear which genes control the process. The team selected rice strains that have poor grain-filling and, following extensive genetic screening, found a mutation within a gene called GIF1 (Grain Incomplete Filling 1). According to the researchers, the GIF1 gene is responsible for controlling the activity of the enzyme invertase, which is located in the... [read full story]