Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a traditional staple tree crop throughout the tropics. The species is an evergreen tree 15-20 m; there are currently no size-controlling rootstocks within the species. Through interspecific grafting, a dwarf phenotype was identified in breadfruit plants growing on Marang (Artocarpus odoratissimus) rootstocks, which displayed ~60% reduction in plant height with ~80% shorter internodes. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying rootstock-induced dwarfing, we investigated the involvement of gibberellin (GA) in reduction of stem elongation. Expression of GA metabolism genes was analysed in the period from 18 to 24 months after grafting. In comparison to self-graft and non-graft, scion stems on marang rootstocks displayed decrease in expression of a GA biosynthetic gene, AaGA20ox3, and increase in expression of a GA catabolic genes, AaGA2ox1, in the tested 6-month period. Increased accumulation of DELLA proteins (GA-signalling repressors) was found in scion stems growing on marang rootstocks, together with an increased expression of a DELLA gene, AaDELLA1. Exogenous GA treatment was able to restore the stem elongation rate and the internode length of scions growing on marang rootstocks. The possibility that GA deficiency forms a component of the mechanism underlying rootstock-induced breadfruit dwarfing is discussed.
Keywords: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis); Gibberellin (GA); dwarfing; marang (Artocarpus odoratissimus); rootstock; stem elongation.