Rice Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.2, 48-57 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 52 grain yield. Ghd7 controls the maturity period and yield of rice and is an important gene that affects the growth cycle and flowering time. The Ghd7 gene encodes a protein containing a CCCH-type zinc finger protein domain that controls flowering time and maturity by regulating photoperiodic responses. The activity of Ghd7 is affected by day length. Under long-day conditions, Ghd7 is highly expressed, delaying flowering time, extending the growth cycle, and increasing grain yield. The qSW5 gene affects the grain width and thousand-grain weight of rice, and is closely related to grain morphology and yield. The qSW5 gene encodes a protein of unknown function that regulates grain width by affecting cell expansion in early stages of grain development. Specific allelic variations can lead to an increase in grain width, which in turn affects thousand-grain weight and overall yield. 4.3 Impact and potential applications of related genes on rice yield Genetic improvement of rice yield is key to global food security. Relevant genes identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide important molecular targets for improving rice yield. The impact of these genes on rice yield is mainly reflected in the control of plant height, tiller number, grain size, grain number, and maturity period. Gn1a gene directly affects the number of inflorescence branches and grain number of rice by encoding a cytokine oxidase. A higher number of inflorescence branches means more potential seed setting locations, potentially increasing final grain yield. Through molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) or gene editing technology (such as CRISPR/Cas9), efficient Gn1a allelic variations can be introduced into rice varieties with high yield or other excellent agronomic traits to increase their yield. Different allelic variations of the GS3 gene affect the length and volume of grains, thereby affecting yield. Larger kernels usually mean higher thousand-kernel weight, which is one of the key factors in increasing yields. Precisely regulating GS3 allelic variation can optimize grain size, and combined with the improvement of other yield-related traits, it is expected to significantly increase the overall yield of rice (Song et al., 2015). DEP1 gene directly affects the number of grains by affecting the density of the panicle structure. Rice varieties with specific DEP1 variants exhibit higher panicle density and increased grain number. Selecting or introducing favorable DEP1 mutations through gene editing during breeding can increase the panicle density of rice, thus increasing the yield per plant. The Ghd7 gene controls the length of the growth cycle, affecting flowering time and seed number. Different allelic variations of this gene can regulate the adaptability and yield traits of rice. By regulating the expression of the Ghd7 gene, rice varieties can be developed to adapt to different planting seasons and environmental conditions, while optimizing yield traits. qSW5 gene affects grain width, thereby affecting thousand-grain weight and yield. Variations in this gene can lead to significant changes in grain morphology. Using the variation of the qSW5 gene, breeding strategies can be used to adjust grain size, optimize thousand-grain weight, and increase rice yield. In practical applications, these genes do not act in isolation, but interact to form a complex network, which together determine the final yield of rice. Therefore, modern rice breeding not only focuses on the improvement of a single gene, but also achieves comprehensive improvement of rice yield and other agronomic traits by integrating a combination of multiple beneficial genes and using multi-gene editing technology. In addition, considering the impact of environmental factors on rice traits, breeding strategies need to incorporate ecological and climate models to ensure that improved rice varieties can exhibit excellent yield and stability under different environmental conditions.
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