High-density planting is an effective measure for increasing crop yield per unit land area. Leaf angle (LA) is a key trait of plant architecture and a target for genetic improvement of crops. Upright leaves allow better light capture in canopy under high-density planting, thus enhancing photosynthesis efficiency, ventilation and stress resistance, and ultimately higher grain yield. Here, we summarized the latest progress on the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating LA formation in rice and maize. We suggest several standing out questions for future studies and then propose some promising strategies to manipulate LA for breeding of cereal crops tailored for high-density planting.
Keywords: cereal crop; dense planting; grain yield; leaf angle; plant architecture.
© 2022 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.