Major genes determining yield-related traits in wheat and barley.

Current development of advanced biotechnology tools allows us to characterize the role of key genes in plant productivity. The implementation of this knowledge in breeding strategies might accelerate the progress in obtaining high-yielding cultivars. The achievements of the Green Revolution were based on a specific plant ideotype, determined by a single gene involved in gibberellin signaling or metabolism.

Expression patterns of HvCKX genes indicate their role in growth and reproductive development of barley.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase proteins (CKX) are encoded by a multigene family of CKX genes with a varying number of members depending on species. For some of the genes, spectacular effects on grain production in selected cereals have been observed. Despite the fact that partial or full length sequences of most HvCKX genes in barley (Hordeum vulgare) have already been published, in most cases their specific biological functions have not been reported.