PubMed · 2026-04-21
Scientists identified a gene in rice called SDR1 that controls plant height by managing levels of a natural growth hormone. Disabling this gene produces shorter, sturdier plants that resist falling over, tolerate salt and disease better, and — crucially — yield more grain when grown in dense, high-input fields.
Knocking out SDR1 in rice cultivar Zhonghua 11 simultaneously improved lodging resistance and grain yield under high-density, high-fertility cultivation conditions
SDR1 controls plant height by regulating gibberellin (GA) growth hormone levels — it does this by tagging the GA-deactivating enzyme EUI1 for destruction via the cell's own protein-recycling machinery
Loss of SDR1 function delivered a multi-stress resilience package: semi-dwarfism, enhanced lodging resistance, improved salt tolerance, and greater disease resistance in a single genetic change
