Remodeling aboveground tomato plant architecture via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of a single Tiller Angle Control 1–like geneOA

Plant architecture is a major factor affecting crop management and yield.The erect leaf phenotype is a key trait for improving light capture,reducing water loss,optimizing space utilization,and facilitating the chemical and biological control of arthropods and pathogens,especially those infesting/infecting abaxial leaf surfaces.This phenotype has been associated with Tiller Angle Control 1(TAC1)-like genes across many herbaceous and tree species.Our previous genomic and genetic analyses of the erect leaf phenotype in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum)indicated that this trait is controlled by a semi-dominant locus,Erl,on chromosome 10.We discovered that this phenotype was in tight linkage with a candidate loss-of-function mutation in Solyc10g009320,an ortholog of TAC1-like genes.Therefore,editing this gene might confirm its function and enable the fine-tuned manipulation of aboveground tomato plant architecture.Here,we utilized a CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to confirm the complete genetic association of the erect leaf phenotype in tomato by knocking out Solyc10g009320 in tomato cultivar‘Micro-Tom’.In addition,we analyzed the effects of editing this gene on the overall plant phenotype as well as physiological and agronomic performance.Editing Solyc10g009320 alleles in tomato lays the foundation for the large-scale generation of superior genotypes,paving the way for the development of elite cultivars with an erect leaf phenotype.