CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of IBH1 fine-tunes brassinosteroid metabolism and modulates plant architecture and grain traits in durum wheat.

CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of IBH1 in durum wheat enhances plant height, grain size, and weight by modulating brassinosteroid signaling and metabolism.

• Why it matters: Optimizing plant architecture and grain traits is vital for improving cereal crop yields, and fine-tuning hormone signaling offers a targeted approach without altering hormone levels directly.
• What they did: Using CRISPR-Cas9, researchers knocked out IBH1, a negative regulator of brassinosteroid signaling, and observed transcriptional changes, metabolic remodeling, and phenotypic improvements in plant growth and grain traits.
• The result: IBH1 loss of function led to increased plant height, internode elongation, leaf inclination, grain size, and thousand grain weight, indicating that manipulating the ILI1/PRE1-IBH1 module can modulate key agronomic traits in cereal crops.