An Epichloë fungal endophyte regulates grain size in barley
Zhengfeng Wang, Wanyou Liu, Zhenjiang Chen, Feng Zhao, Yonghong Qi, Chunjie Li · 2026
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Description
Zhengfeng Wang and five co-authors study a fungus that lives inside barley and enlarges its grain, in this twenty twenty-six paper. Grain size is a key driver of barley yield. Plants carrying the fungus grew larger grains than plants without it, but how the fungus did this was unknown.
Measured grains from fungus-carrying plants were wider and larger in area by several percent. Their seeds packed starch granules more densely. A plant hormone seemed to move nutrients faster into the grain. The work links a quiet fungal partner to a trait farmers value, and may guide its use in breeding.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhengfeng Wang, Wanyou Liu, Zhenjiang Chen, Feng Zhao, Yonghong Qi, Chunjie Li |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 51 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |