Zhuang Li;Qichao Tu;Xiangguang Lyu;Qican Cheng;Ronghuan Ji;Chao Qin;J.Y. Liu;Bin Liu;Hongyu Li;Tao Zha

State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, Chin

DELLA protein;GmRGAs;GmSTFs;Plant height;Soybea

Plant height influences plant architecture, lodging resistance, and yield performance. It is modulated by gibberellic acid (GA) metabolism and signaling. DELLA proteins, acting as central repressors of GA signaling, integrate various environmental and hormonal signals to regulate plant growth and development in Arabidopsis. We examined the role of two DELLA proteins, GmRGAa and GmRGAb, in soybean plant height control. Knockout of these proteins led to longer internodes and increased plant height, primarily by increasing cell elongation. GmRGAs functioned under different light conditions, including red, blue, and far-red light, to repress plant height. Interaction studies revealed that GmRGAs interacted with the blue light receptor GmCRY1b. Consistent with this, GmCRY1b partially regulated plant height via GmRGAs. Additionally, DELLA proteins were found to stabilize the protein GmSTF1/2, a key positive regulator of photomorphogenesis. This stabilization led to increased transcription of GmGA2ox-7b and subsequent reduction in plant height. This study enhances our understanding of DELLA-mediated plant height control, offering Gmrgaab mutants for soybean structure and yield optimization.