Morphological and Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Awn Development in Monocotyledonous Grasses

The identification of biological mechanisms underlying the development of complex quantitative traits, including those that contribute to plant architecture, yield and quality potential, and seed dispersal, is a major focus in the evolutionary biology and plant breeding. The awn, a bristle-like exte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genes 2019-07, Vol.10 (8), p.573
Main Authors: Ntakirutimana, Fabrice, Xie, Wengang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Barley
Cereals
Cloning
Corn
Cultivars
Evolution & development
Flowers - anatomy & histology
Flowers - genetics
Flowers - growth & development
Genetic factors
Germination
Grasses
Morphology
Photosynthesis
Plant breeding
Plant Development
Poaceae - anatomy & histology
Poaceae - genetics
Poaceae - growth & development
Quantitative Trait, Heritable
Review
Rice
Seed dispersal
Seeds
Wheat
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Summary:The identification of biological mechanisms underlying the development of complex quantitative traits, including those that contribute to plant architecture, yield and quality potential, and seed dispersal, is a major focus in the evolutionary biology and plant breeding. The awn, a bristle-like extension from the lemma in the floret, is one of the distinct morphological and physiological traits in grass species. Awns are taught as an evolutionary trait assisting seed dispersal and germination and increasing photosynthesis. Awn development seems to be complex process, involving dramatic phenotypic and molecular changes. Although recent advances investigated the underlying morphological and molecular genetic factors of awn development, there is little agreement about how these factors interact during awn formation and how this interaction affects variation of awn morphology. Consequently, the developmental sequence of the awn is not yet well understood. Here, we review awn morphological and histological features, awn development pathways, and molecular processes of awn development. We argue that morphological and molecular genetic mechanisms of awn development previously studied in major cereal crops, such as barley, wheat, and rice, offered intriguing insights helping to characterize this process in a comparative approach. Applying such an approach will aid to deeply understand factors involved in awn development in grass species.
ISSN:2073-4425
2073-4425
DOI:10.3390/genes10080573