Identification of Gene Variation Involved in Regulating Maize Brittleness.

Maize stalk strength is a crucial agronomic trait that affects lodging resistance. We used map-based cloning and allelic tests to identify a maize mutant associated with decreased stalk strength and confirmed that the mutated gene, , is a homolog of , which encodes a COBRA-like glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein. The mutant exhibited lower cellulose content and whole-plant brittleness.