High-density planting is an effective measure for increasing crop yield per unit land area. Leaf angle (LA) is a key trait of plant architecture and a target for genetic improvement of crops. Upright leaves allow better light capture in canopy under high-density planting, thus enhancing photosynthesis efficiency, ventilation and stress resistance, and ultimately higher grain yield. Here, we summarized the latest progress on the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating LA formation in rice and maize. We suggest several standing out questions for future studies and then propose some promising strategies to manipulate LA for breeding of cereal crops tailored for high-density planting.

中文翻译：

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叶角：为高密度种植量身定制的谷类作物遗传改良目标

高密度种植是提高单位土地面积农作物产量的有效措施。叶角（LA）是植物结构的关键性状，也是作物遗传改良的目标。在高密度种植下，直立的叶子可以更好地捕获冠层的光，从而提高光合作用效率、通风和抗逆性，最终提高粮食产量。在这里，我们总结了调控水稻和玉米中 LA 形成的细胞和分子机制的最新进展。我们为未来的研究提出了几个突出的问题，然后提出了一些有前景的策略来操纵 LA 来培育适合高密度种植的谷类作物。