Allelic polymorphism of <i>GIGANTEA</i> is responsible for naturally occurring variation in circadian period in <i>Brassica rapa</i>

Abstract

Significance The plant circadian clock affects many aspects of growth and development and influences both fitness in natural settings and performance in cultivated conditions. We show that GIGANTEA ( GI ) underlies a major quantitative trait locus for circadian period in Brassica rapa by fine-mapping, analysis of heterogeneous inbred lines, and transgenic rescue of an Arabidopsis gi-201 loss-of-function mutant. Analysis of chimeric and mutated B. rapa GI alleles identified the causal nucleotide polymorphism responsible for the allelic variation in circadian period, cold and salt tolerance, and red light inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. Allelic variation of GI and of clock genes in general offers targets for marker-assisted (molecular) breeding for enhanced stress tolerance and potentially for improved crop yield.