Spike architecture influences grain yield in wheat. We report the map-based cloning of a gene determining the number of spikelet nodes per spike in common wheat. The cloned gene is named
TaCOL-B5
and encodes a CONSTANS-like protein that is orthologous to
COL5
in plant species. Constitutive overexpression of the dominant
TaCol-B5
allele but without the region encoding B-boxes in a common wheat cultivar increases the number of spikelet nodes per spike and produces more tillers and spikes, thereby enhancing grain yield in transgenic plants under field conditions. Allelic variation in
TaCOL-B5
results in amino acid substitutions leading to differential protein phosphorylation by the protein kinase
Ta
K4. The
TaCol-B5
allele is present in emmer wheat but is rare in a global collection of modern wheat cultivars.
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