种子休眠是是指种子在适合它生长的条件(温度、水分和氧气等)下仍不能发芽的现象,是多数高等植物所共有的特点。作物驯化过程中由于更多考虑高产、优质、抗病虫及耐受逆境性状,同时保证在生产中种子具有一致的萌发特性,常常忽视了对种子适度休眠的保留,从而导致很多作物如水稻、小麦会发生穗发芽现象(种子收获前成熟期如遇连阴雨不能及时收获,常出现部分籽粒在穗上发芽的现象),严重影响了作物的产量和品质,造成巨大的经济损失(图1)。仅在面包小麦中,每年由于穗发芽造成的损失就要高达10亿美元。在中国南方水稻栽培区,受收获季节梅雨的影响,穗发芽会造成常规稻6%栽培面积的损失,而杂交稻的损失则高达栽培面积的20%。近年来,随着全球气候变暖,农业生产上水稻小麦等在后期成熟期常常遭遇连阴天气,使得穗发芽灾害频繁发生。如我国长江中下游以及黄淮地区等冬小麦主产区在2013、2015及2016年均遭受严重的穗发芽灾害。在2016和2020年,受台风影响,江浙地区水稻、玉米等也爆发大面积穗发芽,造成严重减产。更为严重的是,在作物制种后期如发生连绵阴雨天气,引起穗发芽将对制种产业造成难以估量的损失,甚至影响下季播种。因此,找到水稻、小麦等控制种子休眠的关键基因,阐明种子休眠调控的分子生理机制,挖掘其优良等位变异,对解决水稻等作物穗发芽灾害至关重要。
图 1. 2020年收获季连绵阴雨导致南方不同省份水稻穗发芽
a, SD6/ICE2分子模块作用模型示意图;b, 改良前后水稻品种穗发芽情况;c, 改良前后小麦品种穗发芽情况。
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