Genome‐Wide Association Studies Identify <scp> <i>OsNLP6</i> </scp> as a Key Regulator of Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice
Wei Xin, Hongliang Zheng, Luomiao Yang, Shupeng Xie, Sijia Xia, Jiaqi Wang, Jiaqi Wang, Mengge Wang, Yinuo Liu, Detang Zou, Hualong Liu, Jingguo Wang, Jingguo Wang
Abstract
ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) is the mineral element with the largest demand for crops, contributing up to 40% to 50% to the final yield. There is an increasing demand for breeding high N use efficiency (NUE) cultivars using high NUE genes due to the urgent requirements for sustainable agricultural development. Here, GWAS was conducted and OsNLP6 was identified, which encodes a NIN‐like protein (NLP) transcription factor, as a key regulatory gene which was highly expressed in roots for rice NUE and yield formation. OsNLP6 positively regulates N uptake by activating the transcription of OsPTR2.4 , which affects the nitrate transporter. The expression of this molecular module was significantly induced by low N stress. OsNLP6 HapII was identified as an elite haplotype with high‐NUE, which was mainly found in the Xian rice subgroup derived from Southeast Asia, and could enhance N uptake and effective panicle number per plant, thereby boosting rice yield and NUE. Introducing OsNLP6 HapII into the Geng rice subgroup can be a potential strategy for marker‐assisted selection breeding in rice. Overall, the present study highlights that the OsNLP6 ‐ OsPTR2.4 molecular module can be used to breed rice cultivars with higher NUE in order to achieve agricultural sustainability.