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Dissecting the association of flowering time and yield in oat

Project Lead Dr. Jaswinder Singh (McGill Department of Plant Science) is working with collaborators Dr. Nick Tinker, Wubishet Bekele, Kirby Nilsen, and Jean-Sebastien Parent.

The objectives of this project are:

  1. Identification of regulatory sequences in the identified gene/chromosome region, and refining of gene editing in oat.
  2. Development of specific CRISPR constructs.
  3. Transformation of the said constructs into oat for developing mutant lines.
  4. Genotypic and phenotypic screening of oat mutant lines.

This work could help zero in on problems faced by Prairie oat growers. Oats grow well on the Canadian prairies, but even varieties that flower and mature early can be susceptible to lower yield and disease risk. If CRISPR modifications can produce reliable DNA editing that can predict the influence on all traits, then in the future oat breeders* could engineer superior germplasm by modifying a single specific gene that would help producers harness the crop’s biological potential. *Note: If there is a desire by both producers and oat buyers for use of the technology in oats.

This project is funded by Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA), Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR).

Project Details

  • Listing ID: 5914
  • Project Status In Progress
  • Principal Investigators Dr. Jaswinder Singh, McGill University
  • Projects With Results Projects with Results
  • Project Dates January 2023 - January 2026
  • Abstract/Summary Project Lead Dr. Jaswinder Singh (McGill Department of Plant Science) is working with collaborators Dr. Nick Tinker, Wubishet Bekele, Kirby Nilsen, and Jean-Sebastien Parent.

    The objectives of this project are:

    Identification of regulatory sequences in the identified gene/chromosome region, and refining of gene editing in oat.
    Development of specific CRISPR constructs.
    Transformation of the said constructs into oat for developing mutant lines.
    Genotypic and phenotypic screening of oat mutant lines.

    This work could help zero in on problems faced by Prairie oat growers. Oats grow well on the Canadian prairies, but even varieties that flower and mature early can be susceptible to lower yield and disease risk. If CRISPR modifications can produce reliable DNA editing that can predict the influence on all traits, then in the future oat breeders* could engineer superior germplasm by modifying a single specific gene that would help producers harness the crop's biological potential. *Note: If there is a desire by both producers and oat buyers for use of the technology in oats.