Overgrowth mutants determine the causal role of GA2oxidaseA13 in Rht12 dwarfism of wheat.

The induced dwarf mutant Rht12 was previously shown to have agronomic potential to replace the conventional DELLA mutants Rht-B1b/Rht-D1b in wheat. The Rht12 dwarfing gene is not associated with reduced coleoptile length (unlike the DELLA mutants), and it is dominant, characteristics which are shared with the previously characterised dwarfing genes Rht18 and Rht14. Using the Rht18/Rht14 model, a GA 2-oxidase gene was identified in the Rht12 region on chromosome 5A. A screen for suppressor mutants in the Rht12 background identified tall overgrowth individuals that were shown to contain loss of function mutations in GA2oxidaseA13, demonstrating the role of this gene in the Rht12 dwarf phenotype. It was concluded that Rht12, Rht18 and Rht14 share the same height-reducing mechanism through the increased expression of GA 2-oxidase genes. Some of the overgrowth mutants generated in this study were semi-dwarf and taller than the original Rht12 dwarf, providing breeders with new sources of agronomically useful dwarfism.