UNLABELLED

Heading date (HD) is a critical agronomic trait that influences wheat's adaptation to environmental conditions and plays a pivotal role in yield stability. In this study, an early-heading mutant was identified following γ-ray irradiation of the wild type (WT) wheat variety Jing411. This mutant headed 2-3 days earlier than the WT, with no significant differences in other yield-related traits. Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA), genetic linkage analysis of the F population from a cross between the WT and mutant, and phenotypic validation in F lines were used to finely map the HD gene to a 12.4-Mb region on chromosome 5B. Transcriptome analysis of developing spikes from both WT and at three key developmental stages revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in pathways related to photosynthesis and photosynthesis-antenna proteins, suggesting a potential role in photosynthetic regulation. Within the mapped region, six high-probability candidate genes were identified based on sequence variation and expression patterns. Functional annotation, supported by studies of homologs in other species, highlighted three genes encoding serine proteases, bromodomain-containing protein, and UTP-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase as the most likely regulators of HD. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic regulation of HD in wheat and support the development of new wheat varieties with optimized heading times.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-025-01580-2.