State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
J Exp Bot. 2021 Apr 2;72(8):2857-2876. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erab024.
With the growth of the global population and the increasing frequency of natural disasters, crop yields must be steadily increased to enhance human adaptability to risks. Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), a term mainly used to describe the phenomenon in which grains germinate on the mother plant directly before harvest, is a serious global problem for agricultural production. After domestication, the dormancy level of cultivated crops was generally lower than that of their wild ancestors. Although the shortened dormancy period likely improved the industrial performance of cereals such as wheat, barley, rice, and maize, the excessive germination rate has caused frequent PHS in areas with higher rainfall, resulting in great economic losses. Here, we systematically review the causes of PHS and its consequences, the major indicators and methods for PHS assessment, and emphasize the biological significance of PHS in crop production. Wheat quantitative trait loci functioning in the control of PHS are also comprehensively summarized in a meta-analysis. Finally, we use Arabidopsis as a model plant to develop more complete PHS regulatory networks for wheat. The integration of this information is conducive to the development of custom-made cultivated lines suitable for different demands and regions, and is of great significance for improving crop yields and economic benefits.
随着全球人口的增长和自然灾害发生频率的增加，必须稳定提高作物产量，以增强人类对风险的适应能力。收获前发芽（PHS）主要用于描述在收获前母株上直接发芽的现象，这是农业生产中一个严重的全球性问题。经过驯化，栽培作物的休眠水平通常低于其野生祖先。虽然缩短休眠期可能提高了小麦、大麦、水稻和玉米等谷物的工业性能，但过高的发芽率导致在降雨量较高的地区频繁发生 PHS，造成巨大的经济损失。在这里，我们系统地回顾了 PHS 的原因及其后果、PHS 评估的主要指标和方法，并强调了 PHS 在作物生产中的生物学意义。我们还通过元分析全面总结了控制 PHS 的小麦数量性状位点。最后，我们使用拟南芥作为模式植物，为小麦开发更完整的 PHS 调控网络。整合这些信息有助于开发适合不同需求和地区的定制栽培品种，对提高作物产量和经济效益具有重要意义。
