This invention belongs to the field of
plant gene map-based
cloning and
molecular breeding, and relates to the application of the maize
gene BRR1 and its functional site in regulating harvest index and yield traits. Through QTL mapping and fine mapping of a maize-Kesury grass
population, this invention identified the major-effect QTL-HI1 regulating the harvest index and its key
gene BRR1, and discovered that its upstream 9.1 kb insert is an
enhancer with H3K27ac modification, which can physically interact with the BRR1
promoter and significantly upregulate
gene expression. Knockout of BRR1 leads to a decrease in harvest index,
biomass, and yield, and delayed flowering; overexpression of BRR1 increases harvest index and yield by 10–16%. This gene and its functional site are subject to strong selection during
domestication and breeding, and can be used through
transgenic technology or marker-assisted selection to achieve synergistic improvement of maize harvest index, yield, and
flowering time, providing a new approach for high-yield molecular design breeding.