Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences

Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences | Vol. 12, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 107–111

DOI: 10.46882/2026.AAAS.120802

Research Article

Title: CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Knockout of the OsSUT1 Gene to Enhance Grain Filling Efficiency in Oryza sativa

Names of Authors: Wang, J. Y.¹, Liu, Y. X.¹, and Zhang, Q.²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China. ²Department of Plant Microbe Interactions, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Beijing, China.

Abstract: Optimizing carbon allocation from vegetative sources to developing sinks is a primary objective for boosting yield potentials in rice (Oryza sativa L.). This study utilized the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system to generate targeted knockouts of the sucrose transporter gene (OsSUT1) within elite indica lines to characterize its specific role during starch deposition. Homozygous mutant lines (T² generation) were confirmed via high-throughput sequencing, showing a high editing efficiency of 88.5% across target loci. Agronomic evaluations across controlled greenhouse environments showed that modified configurations adjusted plant source-sink relationships. Under high solar radiation conditions, mutant lines showed a 14.2% increase in total panicle branch formation compared to wild-type controls. Total grain weight parameters per panicle increased from 4.25 ± 0.15 g to 4.92 ± 0.18 g, driven primarily by optimized starch packing within inferior spikelets. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis confirmed that photosynthetic quantum yields remained unaffected by the genetic modification. The results confirm that editing specific carbohydrate distribution pathways represents a viable avenue for breaking current yield barriers in commercial cereal breeding operations.

Keywords: Plant genome editing; Carbon partitioning; Sink strength; Starch deposition; Genetic transformation; Yield architecture.

Manuscript Timeline: Received April 18, 2026; Revised June 12, 2026; Accepted July 22, 2026; Published August 14, 2026.

Citation: Wang, J. Y., Liu, Y. X., and Zhang, Q. (2026). CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Knockout of the OsSUT1 Gene to Enhance Grain Filling Efficiency in Oryza sativa. Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences, 12(8), pp. 107–111.

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