Identification of a novel SNP in the miR172 binding site of Q homoeolog AP2L-D5 is associated with spike compactness and agronomic traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

population and found a single quantitative trait locus on chromosome 5D coinciding with the position of AP2L-D5. This result suggests that AP2L-D5 is likely the underlying causal gene for the compact spike phenotype in ANK-15. We performed a field trial to investigate the effect of the AP2L-D5 allele on agronomic traits and found that the AP2L-D5 allele from ANK-15 is associated with a significant reduction in height, increased thousand grain weight (TGW), and increased grain width.