CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SiYABBY1 mutagenesis enhances cleistogamy and seed number and size in foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.03.007

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (8): 3495-3497 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2026.03.007

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CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SiYABBY1 mutagenesis enhances cleistogamy and seed number and size in foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

Lingqian Zhang^{1, 2*}, Xuan Zhou^{1, 2*}, Jiaxuan Hu^{1, 2}, Hejing Wu^{1, 2}, Xiangyang Yuan², Xiaoqian Chu^{1, 2#}, Jiagang Wang^{1, 2#}

¹Shanxi Hou Ji Laboratory/College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China

²Special Orphan Crops Research Center of the Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China

Highlights
● CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SiYABBY1 (Seita.2G037900) mutagenesis enhances cleistogamy and increases seed number and size in foxtail millet.
● Overexpression of SiYABBY1 (Seita.2G037900) can significantly inhibit the normal growth and development of foxtail millet.
● Understanding the molecular mechanism of SiYABBY1 will contribute to achieving the breeding goal of high yield.

Abstract
References

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摘要

由于全球人口的持续增长、气候变化的加剧和农业用地面积的持续减少，提高作物产量已成为一项紧迫任务。谷子作为一种起源于中国的古老作物，与主要粮食作物相比，其产量仍有较大的提升空间。但目前关于调控谷子花序发育相关基因的研究仍较为有限。本研究结果表明，过表达SiYABBY1显著抑制了谷子的发育；而敲除该基因则可影响浆片大小，使72.8%的小穗表现为闭花授粉，同时引起穗部形态变化，最终使粒长增加11.27%–14.02%，小穗粒数增加31.16%–33.67%。本研究不仅为SiYABBY1在谷子花序发育中的作用提供了新的见解，也为优化谷子产量性状的遗传改良策略提供了重要的理论依据。

Received: 30 December 2025 Accepted: 02 February 2026 Online: 06 March 2026

Fund:

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1202702-6) and the “Youth Science and Technology Leadership Talent Training Program” of Shanxi Agricultural University, China (2025QNLJ203).

About author: #Correspondence Jiagang Wang, E-mail: wjg@sxau.edu.cn; Xiaoqian Chu, E-mail: chuxiaoqian@sxau.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

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Cite this article:

Lingqian Zhang, Xuan Zhou, Jiaxuan Hu, Hejing Wu, Xiangyang Yuan, Xiaoqian Chu, Jiagang Wang. 2026. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SiYABBY1 mutagenesis enhances cleistogamy and seed number and size in foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(8): 3495-3497.

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