The process of crop domestication has long been a topic of active research for biologists,
anthropologists and others. Genetic data have proved a powerful resource for drawing …

Understanding the evolutionary history of crop plants is fundamental to our understanding of
their respective adaptation profiles, which in turn, is a key element in securing future yield …

Recent advances in plant genomics and molecular biology have revolutionized our
understanding of plant genetics, providing new opportunities for more efficient and …

Background In rice, the GW2 gene, found on chromosome 2, controls grain width and
weight. Two homologs of this gene, ZmGW2-CHR4 and ZmGW2-CHR5, have been found in …

The productivity of sorghum is mainly determined by quantitative traits such as grain yield
and stem sugar-related characteristics. Substantial crop improvement has been achieved by …

The GS3 gene was the first identified gene controlling the grain size in rice. It has been
proven to be involved in the evolution of grain size during domestication. We isolated the …

The techniques of plant improvement have been evolving with the advancement of
technology, progressing from crop domestication by Neolithic humans to scientific plant …

Background Roses have been cultivated for centuries and a number of varieties have been
selected based on flower traits such as petal form, color, and number. Wild-type roses have …

Major effect genes are often used for germplasm identification, for diversity analyses and as
selection targets in breeding. To date, only a few morphological characters have been …

Seed weight is an important component of grain yield in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.),
but the genetic basis for the important quantitative trait is still not clear. In order to identify the …