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Malnutrition and food insecurity are major public health problems in developing countries including Ethiopia. Because of an economic issue and information gap, developing countries' survival depends on foods rich in carbohydrates but deficient in protein and micronutrients. However, it is paramount to mix ingredients that complement different nutritional profiles to alleviate the problem of malnutrition. Hence, in this research, maize, orange‐fleshed sweet potato, sweet lupine, and moringa leaf powder composites were used to develop nutritious instant porridge flour through extrusion cooking. Formulations containing powdered maize, orange‐fleshed sweet potato, sweet lupine, and moringa leaf were developed in the following ratios: 100:0:0:0, 50:35:10:5, 45:30:15:10, and 40:25:20:15, respectively. A completely randomized design was used to determine the blending effect on the functional properties, proximate composition, minerals, and beta‐carotene content of formulated instant porridge flour. Whereas, a randomized complete block design was used for the organoleptic characteristics data. Accordingly, the addition of orange‐fleshed sweet potato, sweet lupine, and moringa leaf powder to maize‐based porridge showed a significant (p < .05) increase in bulk density (0.70 ± 0.02 to 0.74 ± 0.03), water solubility index (10.09 ± 0.08 to 14.16 ± 0.23), protein (9.00 ± 0.00 to 21.10 ± 0.02), ash (1.43 ± 0.07 to 3.36 ± 0.08), fiber (1.55 ± 0.05 to 3.21 ± 0.01), fat (3.37 ± 0.02 to 5.37 ± 0.07), energy (370.89 ± 0.70 to 400.53 ± 0.65), vitamin A (0.00 to 41.00 ± 1.55), iron (3.49 ± 0.02 to 9.58 ± 0.29), zinc (2.89 ± 0.01 to 3.62 ± 0.06), and calcium (40.49 ± 0.42 to 113.34 ± 0.52) contents. However, water absorption index (4.76 ± 0.01 to 3.84 ± 0.01), moisture (8.50 ± 0.08 to 5.60 ± 0.04), and carbohydrate (76.11 ± 0.22 to 66.94 ± 0.02) content were decreased as a result of blending proportion compared to maize porridge (control). Formulated instant maize‐based porridge prepared from 50% maize, 35% orange‐fleshed sweet potato, 10% sweet lupine, and 5% moringa leaf powder scored the highest (above 4 out of 5 in a 5‐point hedonic scale) in all sensory attributes. In conclusion, the addition of orange‐fleshed sweet potato, sweet lupine flour, and moringa leaf powder has improved both macro‐ and micronutrients. Therefore, the development of nutritious maize‐based instant porridge formulated from readily available and underutilized crops can be achieved by extrusion cooking that helps to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and food insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought has major consequences on the growth, development, and yield of the maize crop by affecting several physiological, morphological, and biochemical processes. The effects and management techniques of maize were covered in this review. The morphological and physiological difficulties experienced by the maize crop were determined by the degree of stress and the sensitivity of the stages of the crop. It inhibits cell division, limits photosynthesis, increases plant development, diminishes leaf water potential, closes stomata, and reduces chlorophyll synthesis. Furthermore, drought stress has effects on yield and yield parameters like kernel number and grain yield per plant, biomass production, and number of kernels per ear, kernel weight, and harvest index as compared to well-watered plants. Additionally, it has an impact on respiration, translocation, nutrient metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. There were different management practices applied to the drought stress on the maize crop, such as breeding programs, nutrient management, plant growth-promoting bacteria, and others, that have provided an effective strategy for dealing with drought stress. In general, this analysis offers important details on the impact of drought stress on maize growth and yield as well as how to manage it. The development of plant species with a reduced water requirement, genetic engineering to create more tolerant maize varieties, and sustainable use of certain nontoxic growth regulators and antioxidant metabolism in plants under drought conditions all need more attention for future research. Finally, very few molecular marker breeding studies and gene transfers were conducted, indicating the need for more research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When genomic prediction is implemented in breeding maize (Zea mays L.), it can accelerate the breeding process and reduce cost to a large extent. In this study, 11 yield-related traits of maize were used to evaluate four genomic prediction methods including rrBLUP, HEBLP|A, RF, and LightGBM. In all the 11 traits, rrBLUP had similar predictive accuracy to HEBLP|A, and so did RF to LightGBM, but rrBLUP and HEBLP|A outperformed RF and LightGBM in 8 traits. Furthermore, genomic prediction-based heterotic pattern of yieldwas established based on 64620 crosses of maize in Southwest China, and the result showed that one of the parent lines of the top 5% crosses came from temp-tropic or tropic germplasm, which is highly consistent with the actual situation in breeding, and that heterotic pattern (Reid+ × Suwan+) will be a major heterotic pattern of Southwest China in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genetic improvement for Striga hermonthica (Sh) and S. asiatica (Sa) resistance is the most economical and effective control method to enhance the productivity of maize and other major cereal crops. Hence, identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with Striga resistance and economic traits will guide the pace and precision of resistance breeding in maize. The objective of this study was to undertake a genome-wide association analysis of grain yield and Sh and Sa resistance among tropical and sub-tropical maize populations to identify putative genetic markers and genes for resistance breeding. 126 maize genotypes were evaluated under controlled environment conditions using artificial infestation of Sh and Sa. The test genotypes were profiled for grain yield (GY), Striga emergence counts at 8 (SEC8) and 10 (SEC10) weeks after planting, and Striga damage rate scores at 8 (SDR8) and 10 (SDR10) weeks after planting. Population structure analysis and genome-wide association mapping were undertaken based on 16,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Results: A linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis in 798,675 marker pairs revealed that 21.52% of pairs were in significant linkage (P < 0.001). Across the chromosomes, the LD between SNPs decayed below a critical level (r2 = 0.1) at a map distance of 0.19 Mbp. The genome-wide association study identified 50 significant loci associated with Sh resistance and 22 significant loci linked to Sa resistance, corresponding to 39 and 19 candidate genes, respectively. Conclusion: The study found non-significant QTL associated with dual resistance to the two examined Striga species Some of the detected genes reportedly conditioned insect and pathogen resistance, plant cell development, variable senescence, and pollen fertility. The markers detected in the present study for Sa resistance were reported for the first time. The gene Zm00001eb219710 was pleiotropic, and conditioned GY and SEC10, while Zm00001eb165170 affected SDR8 and SDR10, and Zm00001eb112030 conditioned SDR8 and SDR10 associated with Sh resistance. The candidate genes may facilitate simultaneous selection for Sh and Sa resistance and grain yield in maize after further validation and introgression in breeding pipelines. Overall, we recommend breeding maize specifically for resistance to each Striga species using germplasm adapted to the endemic region of each parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Kernel row number (KRN) is a major yield related trait for maize (Zea mays L.) and is also a major goal of breeders, as it can increase the number of kernels per plant. Thus, identifying new genetic factors involving in KRN formation may accelerate improving yield‐related traits genetically. We herein describe a new kernel number‐related gene (KRN5b) identified from KRN QTL qKRN5b and encoding an inositol polyphosphate 5‐phosphatase (5PTase). KRN5b has phosphatase activity towards PI(4,5)P2, PI(3,4,5)P3, and Ins(1,4,5)P3 in vitro. Knocking out KRN5b caused accumulation of PI(4,5)P2 and Ins(1,4,5)P3, resulting in disordered kernel rows and a decrease in the number of kernels and tassel branches. The introgression of the allele with higher expression abundance into different inbred lines could increase the ear weight of the inbred lines and the corresponding hybrids by 10.1%–12.2% via increasing KRN, with no adverse effects on other agronomic traits. Further analyses showed that KRN5b regulates inflorescence development through affecting the synthesis and distribution of hormones. Together, KRN5b contributes to spikelet pair meristem development through inositol phosphate and phosphatidylinositols, making it a selecting target for yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing offers a low-cost method for estimating yields at large spatio-temporal scales. Here, we examined the ability of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to map field-level maize yields across smallholder farms in two regions in Oromia district, Ethiopia. We evaluated how effectively different indices, the MTCI, GCVI, and NDVI, and different models, linear regression and random forest regression, can be used to map field-level yields. We also examined if models improved by adding weather and soil data and how generalizable our models were if trained in one region and applied to another region, where no data were used for model calibration. We found that random forest regression models that used monthly MTCI composites led to the highest yield prediction accuracies (R2 up to 0.63), particularly when using only localized data for training the model. These models were not very generalizable, especially when applied to regions that had significant haze remaining in the imagery. We also found that adding soil and weather data did little to improve model fit. Our results highlight the ability of Sentinel-2 imagery to map field-level yields in smallholder systems, though accuracies are limited in regions with high cloud cover and haze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the quality of corn seeds necessitates evaluating their water, fat, protein, and starch content. This study integrates hyperspectral imaging technology with chemometric analysis techniques to achieve non-invasive and rapid detection of multiple key components in corn seeds. Hyperspectral images of the embryo surface of maize seeds were collected within the wavelength range of 1100~2498 nm. Subsequently, image segmentation techniques were applied to extract the germ structure of the corn seeds as the region of interest. Seven spectral data preprocessing algorithms were employed, and the Detrending Transformation (DT) algorithm was identified as the optimal preprocessing method through comparative analysis using the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model. To reduce spectral redundancy and streamline the prediction model, three algorithms were employed for characteristic wavelength extraction: Successive Projections Algorithm (SPA), Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS), and Uninformative Variable Elimination (UVE). Using the original spectra and extracted characteristic wavelengths, PLSR, BP, RBF, and LSSVM models were constructed to detect the content of four components. The analysis indicated that the CARS-LSSVM algorithm had the best prediction performance. The PSO algorithm was employed to further optimize the parameters of the LSSVM model, thereby improving the model's prediction performance. The R values for the four components in the test set were 0.9884, 0.9490, 0.9864, and 0.9687, respectively. This indicates that hyperspectral technology combined with the DT-CARS-PSO-LSSVM algorithm can effectively detect the main component content of corn seeds. This study not only provides a scientific basis for the evaluation of corn seed quality but also opens up new avenues for the development of non-destructive testing technology in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.) is sensitive to salt stress, especially during seed germination and seedling morphogenesis, which limits maize growth and productivity formation. As a novel recognized plant hormone, melatonin (MT) participates in multiple growth and developmental processes and mediates biotic/abiotic stress responses, yet the effects of salt stress on maize seedlings remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects of 150 μM exogenous MT on multiple phenotypes and physiologic metabolisms in three-leaf seedlings across eight maize inbred lines under 180 mM NaCl salt stress, including growth parameters, stomatal morphology, photosynthetic metabolisms, antioxidant enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Meanwhile, the six gene expression levels controlling antioxidant enzyme activities and photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis in two materials with contrasting salt resistance were examined for all treatments to explore the possible molecular mechanism of exogenous MT alleviating salt injury in maize. The results showed that 150 μM exogenous MT application protected membrane integrity and reduced ROS accumulation by activating the antioxidant system in leaves of maize seedlings under salt stress, their relative conductivity and H2O2 level average reduced by 20.91% and 17.22%, while the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) averaged increased by 13.90%, 17.02%, 22.00%, and 14.24% relative to salt stress alone. The improvement of stomatal size and the deposition of photosynthetic pigments were more favorable to enhancing photosynthesis in leaves when these seedlings treated with MT application under salt stress, their stomatal size, chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate averaged increased by 11.60%, 19.64%, and 27.62%. Additionally, Gene expression analysis showed that MT stimulation significantly increased the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes (Zm00001d009990, Zm00001d047479, Zm00001d014848, and Zm00001d007234) and photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis genes (Zm00001d011819 and Zm00001d017766) under salt stress. At the same time, 150 μM MT significantly promoted seedling growth and biomass accumulation. In conclusion, our study may unravel crucial evidence of the role of MT in maize seedlings against salt stress, which can provide a novel strategy for improving maize salt stress resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), invasion endangered the maize production worldwide, including India. The objective of this study was to quantify the FAW damage severity and its impact on leaf area index (LAI), biomass and grain yield of maize and to detect the field damage using high-resolution multispectral spaceborne remote sensing data. Maize growing fields in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh and the Gadwal District of Telangana, India, were randomly surveyed to collect detailed ground-truth information. Foliar damage due to FAW was recorded, and the fields were categorized into various severity grades (healthy, low, medium and severe). FAW infestation caused significant change in LAI between the severity grades, which formed the basis for its damage detection using multispectral spaceborne remote sensing. Severe FAW infestation caused significant reduction in LAI, biomass and grain yield ranging between 36.9 and 39.9% compared to healthy grade. The infestation at the leaf collar (LC) stage caused significant yield loss of up to 26.5% compared to the tassel initiation (TI) and tasselling and silking (TS) stages. Canopy spectral reflectance from healthy and FAW-infested plants showed significant differences in the visible and near infrared (NIR) regions. A reflectance peak was observed in the NIR region of healthy plants compared to infested plants. Among various spaceborne vegetation indices, the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) performed better in identifying the FAW infestation (R2 = 0.61**), biomass (R2 = 0.70**) and yield loss (R2 = 0.82**). These findings indicate the feasibility of utilizing multispectral remote sensing data for monitoring FAW infestation on a spatial scale, thus enabling the site-specific management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Germination is a sustainable and economical process that can enhance the bioactivities of commonly consumed cereal and pulses, contributing to healthier diets. Its effectiveness in increasing bioactives depends on the germination conditions. This study examined the impact of varying germination periods (2, 4, 6, and 8 days) following 12 h of steeping on rice, maize, green gram, and soy, focusing on key bioactive compounds, including total polyphenols, flavonoids, and total digestible starch. Cereal and pulses germinated for eight days demonstrated a significantly higher (P < 0.05) total polyphenol and flavonoid content along with elevated antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity strongly correlated to increased total polyphenol and flavonoid levels throughout the extended germination period. Moreover, the total digestible starch content (TDS) in rice, maize, and soy increased significantly (P < 0.05) because of the hydrolysis of starch molecules, while green gram showed twofold decrease in TDS, indicating the impact of germination on TDS content may differ across the type of cereal and pules. Using locally grown Sri Lankan grain varieties, such as rice, maize,green gram,and soy, this study fills the gap in existing database on the investigation of bioactive compounds and total digestible starch content, exploring the potential of germination of cereal and pulses to use in nutritionally rich products in the food and agriculture industry with a focus on sustainable food systems and healthier eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient that has multiple biochemical effects ranging from a nutritional deficiency at low levels to toxicity at high levels. Its quantification in environmental systems is vital to protect the health of people and animals. This study developed and validated methods to determine the total selenium (Se) concentration in soil, maize plants, and maize flour. The performance of the methods was ascertained using matrix certified reference materials (CRMs), namely NMIJ CRM 7303-a (trace elements in lake sediments), NIST SRM 1646-a (estuarine sediments), NIST SRM 1570-a (spinach leaves), NIST SRM 1571 (orchard leaves), NCS ZC 73010 (maize flour) and NIST RM 8437 (hard red spring wheat flour). All methods fulfilled the performance requirements of the AOAC International. An acceptable accuracy was achieved with percentage recoveries between 57 and 102% and E n ‐ scores within ±1 limits. Repeatability ( RSD r , %) and intermediate precision (RSD R , %) ranged from 4 to 12%, and 9 to 15%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for soil were 0.024 ng. g−1 and 0.082 ng. g−1, respectively. The LODs and LOQs for maize plants and flour were 0.0036 and 0.0179 ng. g−1, respectively. The performance characteristics of the methods were comparable with previously reported methods, confirming reliability. The measurement uncertainty was evaluated following the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM). Relative expanded uncertainty at a 95% level of confidence (k = 2) was less than 24% for the final measurement results for all the different matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon farming has become increasingly popular as it integrates agriculture, forestry, and diverse land use practices, all crucial for implementing European strategies aimed at capturing 310 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These farming methods were proven to reliably increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. However, there is a lack of discussion and consensus regarding the standards used to report these values and their implications. This article analyzes carbon sequestration rates, calculation methodologies, and communication procedures, as well as potential co-benefits and best practices. The average carbon sequestration rates in major staple crops range from very low values (0–0.5 Mg/ha/yr) to medium values (1–5 Mg/ha/yr). Scientific agricultural experiments in key global staple crops demonstrate positive rates of 4.96 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in wheat–maize rotations and 0.52–0.69 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in rice–wheat rotations. In agriculture, carbon sequestration rates are reported using different terms that are not consistent and pose communication challenges. This assessment involves a systematic review of the scientific literature, including articles, reviews, book chapters, and conference papers indexed in Scopus from 2001 to 2022. Specifically, this review focuses on long-term experiments, meta-analyses, and reviews that report an increase in soil carbon stock. The research trends observed, through a VOSviewer 1.6.18 analysis, show a steadily increasing interest in the field of carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low levels of the essential amino acid lysine in maize endosperm is considered to be a major problem regarding the nutritional quality of food and feed. Increasing the lysine content of maize is important to improve the quality of food and feed nutrition. Although the genetic basis of quality protein maize (QPM) has been studied, the further exploration of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying lysine content variation still needs more attention. Results: Eight maize inbred lines with increased lysine content were used to construct four double haploid (DH) populations for identification of QTLs related to lysine content. The lysine content in the four DH populations exhibited continuous and normal distribution. A total of 12 QTLs were identified in a range of 4.42–12.66% in term of individual phenotypic variation explained (PVE) which suggested the quantitative control of lysine content in maize. Five main genes involved in maize lysine biosynthesis pathways in the QTL regions were identified in this study. Conclusions: The information presented will allow the exploration of candidate genes regulating lysine biosynthesis pathways and be useful for marker-assisted selection and gene pyramiding in high-lysine maize breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a group of environmentally friendly bacteria growing in the rhizosphere of plants, play an important role in plant growth and development and resistance to environmental stresses. However, their limited understanding has led to the fact that their large-scale use in agriculture is still scarce, and the mechanisms by which beneficial bacteria are selected by plants and how they interact with them are still unclear. Method: In this study, we investigated the interaction between the auxin-producing strain Bacillus aryabhattai LAD and maize roots, and performed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of Bacillus aryabhattai LAD after treatment with maize root secretions(RS). Results: Our results show that there is a feedback effect between the plant immune system and bacterial auxin. Bacteria activate the immune response of plant roots to produce reactive oxygen species(ROS), which in turn stimulates bacteria to synthesize IAA, and the synthesized IAA further promotes plant growth. Under the condition of co-culture with LAD, the main root length, seedling length, root surface area and root volume of maize increased by 197%, 107%, 89% and 75%, respectively. In addition, the results of transcriptome metabolome analysis showed that LAD was significantly enriched in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism pathways after RS treatment, including 93 differentially expressed genes and 45 differentially accumulated metabolites. Conclusion: Our findings not only provide a relevant model for exploring the effects of plant-soil microbial interactions on plant defense functions and thereby promoting plant growth, but also lay a solid foundation for the future large-scale use of PGPR in agriculture for sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination and potential risks to human health related to consuming major food crops near Iringa Municipal dumpsite are presented. Soil samples, maize (Zea mays L.) and common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were collected downslope around the dumpsite during wet season. Soil samples were analyzed using Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) while crop (maize and beans) samples were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The potential health risks associated with human exposure to heavy metals in maize and common beans was evaluated according to the method prescribed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The concentrations Cd (3.25–10.78 mg/kg), As (1.84–10.98 mg/kg) and Ni (71.74–55.10 mg/kg) in soil samples exceed the maximum allowable limits set by Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS). The average heavy metal concentration in food crops followed the trend Cd, As < Cr, Pb < Ni < Cu < Mn < Zn with Pb in maize (0.96 mg/kg) and common beans (0.81 mg/kg) above FAO/WHO regulatory standards of 0.3 mg/kg. This implied health concerns to consuming food crops grown in the vicinity of the dumpsite. Further, lifetime–incremental cancer risk (ILCR) assessment suggest that consuming maize and common beans from the study area could increase the risk of both cancer and non-cancerous diseases in both adults and children. However, the degree of ILCR in children was noticeably higher (1.0 × 10–2) than in adults (5.10. × 10–6) for Pb in common beans. Therefore sustainable waste management should be stressed and continuous monitoring of environments around dumpsites is crucial to mitigate the negative impacts on public and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BTB-TAZ protein is a subfamily of the BTB protein family and plays a crucial regulatory role in plant resistance to pathogen infection. However, the function of the maize BTB-TAZ protein ZmBT2a in maize resistance to pathogens has not been reported. Here, we investigate the role of ZmBT2a in maize resistance to pathogen infection by examining its expression characteristics. The results showed that the expression level of ZmBT2a changed significantly in response to biotic and abiotic stresses in maize. Moreover, ZmBT2a-OE exhibited enhanced resistance to Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, while the maize ZmBT2a mutants Zmbt2a-1 and Zmbt2a-2 showed increased sensitivity to Fusarium graminearum and Cochliobolus carbonum infections. Notably, the expression of the key synthetic genes ZmLOXs and pathogenesis-related genes ZmPRs in the JA synthesis pathway was significantly down-regulated during F. graminearum infection. Additionally, yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed the direct interaction between ZmBT2a and E3 ubiquitinated proteins ZmCUL3a and ZmCUL3b. These findings suggest that the ZmBT2a gene is crucial in maize resistance to pathogen infection. It is hypothesized that ZmBT2a binds to ZmCUL3 and, through ubiquitination, affects the transcriptional regulation of ZmLOXs and ZmPRs by downstream transcription factors, thus participating in the disease resistance process of maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how maize (Zea mays) responds to cold stress is crucial for facilitating breeding programs of cold-tolerant varieties. Despite extensive utilization of the genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach for exploring favorable natural alleles associated with maize cold tolerance, few studies have successfully identified candidate genes that contribute to maize cold tolerance. In this study, we used a diverse panel of inbred maize lines collected from different germplasm sources to perform a GWAS on variations in the relative injured area of maize true leaves during cold stress—a trait very closely correlated with maize cold tolerance. We identified HSF21 , which encodes a B-class heat shock transcription factor (HSF) that positively regulates cold tolerance at both the seedling and germination stages. Natural variations in the promoter of the cold-tolerant HSF21 Hap1 allele led to increased HSF21 expression under cold stress by inhibiting binding of the basic leucine zipper bZIP68 transcription factor, a negative regulator of cold tolerance. By integrating transcriptome deep sequencing, DNA affinity purification sequencing, and targeted lipidomic analysis, we revealed the function of HSF21 in regulating lipid metabolism homeostasis to modulate cold tolerance in maize. In addition, we found that HSF21 confers maize cold tolerance without incurring yield penalties. Collectively, this study establishes HSF21 as a key regulator that enhances cold tolerance in maize, providing valuable genetic resources for breeding of cold-tolerant maize varieties. In this study, HSF21 , encoding a B-class heat shock transcription factor, was identified to be strongly associated with cold tolerance by GWAS using a panel of diverse maize inbred lines. Natural variations in the promoter of the cold-tolerant HSF21Hap1 allele cause increased HSF21 expression under cold stress due to attenuated binding with bZIP68, a negative regulator of cold tolerance. Multi-omics analyses further reveal that HSF21 is a crucial regulator of maize lipid metabolism under cold stress, thereby providing potential genetic targets for maize cold tolerance breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a powder of the larvae, pupae and adults of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) was obtained, and 1% of this powder was added to solid culture media potato dextrose agar (PDA) and liquid media Sabouraud dextrose broth (SDB) and minimal medium (MM), to induce the development and virulence of the M1 strain of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, which is pathogenic against the L1 larvae of S. frugiperda. The pupa powder was selected because it causes the greatest degree of radial growth of the M1 strain (73.3 mm) in PDA (p < 0.05). The enzymatic activity of M1, in the medium with pupa powder of S. frugiperda (I), was increased on day 4 for the proteases in MMI (1.1 U min-1) and on day 2 for the lipases in MMI (7034 U) and SDBI (6004 U) (p<0.05). In the pathogenicity bioassay, the M1 strain grown on PDA with the pupa powder caused 90% mortality on day 4 in the L1 larvae, while M1 grown on PDA without the powder caused 50%. With the pupa powder, the growth of the M1 strain increased, which promoted the production of enzymes, thus, increasing the pathogenicity of M. anisopliae against the L1 larvae of S. frugiperda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myartsevaia chrysopae (Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae) (Crawford 1913), and Telenomus lobatusJohnson and Bin 1982, and Telenomus tridentatusJohnson and Bin 1982 (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) were reported for the first time in Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico. These parasitoids emerged from the eggs of Chrysopidae (Neuroptera) that had been collected from maize and lemon leaves. Resumen. Se registran por primera vez a Myartsevaia chrysopae (Crawford 1913) (Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae), Telenomus lobatusJohnson and Bin 1982, y T. tridentatusJohnson and Bin 1982 (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) en Yautepec, Morelos, parasitoides de huevos de Chrysopidae (Neuroptera), recolectados de hojas de maíz y limón. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) and Theocolax elegans (Westwood) have been recorded as parasitoids of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), and were collected from maize (Zea mays L.) in the Huasteca Hidalguense. Both species of parasitoids are new records for Hidalgo, and to our knowledge, this is the first report of the association of T. elegans with S. zeamais in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrated use of organic and mineral fertilizers is a practical and good way to preserve and sustain soil fertility, which results in increased availability of nutrients in the soil and their absorption by plants, thus increasing crop productivity. Due to the fixation of potassium in the soil, it is necessary to work to increase the vitality of agricultural soil by adding fertilizers. Organic potassium is an important means of increasing the availability of macroand micro-nutrients. Current research was carried out in a private farm in Deir Ezzor province during the summer season of 2022 with the aim of studying the effect of adding potassium, organic fertilizer, and their interaction, on the soil content of NPK and the productivity of maize (Gouta 82 variety). A factorial experiment was conducted according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment included two factors: the first was potassium fertilizer (potassium sulfate: 0, 100, 150, 200 kg K.ha-1) and the second was organic fertilizer (sheep manure: 0, 15, 20, 25 tons.ha--1). Results showed that the fourth level of potassium fertilizer was significantly superior in soil content of mineral nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium. The values were (N: 8.27, P: 12.07, K: 267.81 mg.kg-1), and the fourth level of organic fertilizer was significantly superior to the studied soil indicators (N: 8.97, P: 12.90, K: 262.79 mg.kg-1), while the values decreased in the control. In the studied plant characteristics (plant height, leaf surface area, grain yield), there is a superiority of the fourth level of potassium and organic fertilizers separately. At the remaining levels and in the control, the values in potassium fertilizer were (180.98 cm, 6147.90 cm2, 7.49 tons.ha-1) respectively. In organic fertilizer, plant characteristics reached (183.49 cm, 6191.50 cm2, 7.72 tons.ha-1) at the fourth level. The interaction of the two fertilizers also had a positive effect on all soil indicators studied, as the interaction of the fourth level of potassium fertilizer with the fourth level of organic fertilizer achieved significant superiority over the rest of the interaction treatments and over the nonfertilized control (N: 9.60, P: 13.76, K: 288.27 mg. kg-1). Likewise, with regard to plant characteristics, interfering the third levels (150 kg/ha) and fourth levels (200 kg/ha) of potassium fertilizer with the fourth level (25 tons/ha) of organic fertilizer achieved the best results (186.92 - 188.20 cm, 6296.15 - 6343.98 cm2, 8.32- 8.36 tons.h-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ustilago maydis, the fungus that causes corn smut disease, leads to significant economic losses in maize cultivars. A key feature of successful plant pathogens is their ability to utilize the plant–pathogen relationship to influence disease progression. Greenhouse experiments examined how pollination and plant genotype affect disease incidence and severity of U. maydis infection. Four U. maydis susceptible maize inbreds (B73, H95, Mo17, and Golden Bantam), and two U. maydis resistant maize‐teosinte near‐isogenic lines (NIL1 and NIL2) were utilized for this work. Three‐hundred and sixty plants (pollinated and unpollinated) from the six plant genotypes were inoculated with U. maydis and assessed based on five phenotypic traits [(1) disease incidence, (2) gall number, (3) gall weight, (4) disease severity, and (5) area under disease progress curve]. All pollinated plants demonstrated significantly (p <.001) lower disease incidence, gall number, gall weight, area under the disease progress curve, and severity in comparison to the unpollinated plants. Both pollinated resistant NILs demonstrated significantly (p <.001) less disease development than the pollinated susceptible maize plants and two unpollinated NILs. Therefore, disease resistance to U. maydis was dependent upon pollination and plant genotype. This provides novel evidence that pollination can significantly improve resistance to U. maydis in different plant genotypes. Enhanced disease resistance observed in the resistant NILs after pollination indicates pollination‐mediated resistance is one of the resistance mechanisms functioning in the resistant NILs. Integration of pollination‐mediated resistance and resistance introgressed from a maize progenitor will be useful for improving resistance to U. maydis and management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag, a sustainable post‐harvest storage technology, can address the high postharvest losses that are a major threat to economic development, food security and the environment in Africa. However, there is limited empirical research on this technology. This study therefore aims to fill this knowledge gap by analysing the factors influencing the diffusion and adoption rates of PICS bags and estimates the impact of the technology adoption on postharvest losses, farm income and income inequality in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The results show that less than 20% of farmers adopt the PICS bag, suggesting low adoption despite the widespread exposure of 51.75%. The technology adoption rate could be increased by 20% if all the farmers were exposed to it. It reduces postharvest losses by 14.2%–19.1%, increases farm income by 89.7%–91.2% and reduces income inequality by 51.33%. These findings suggest that promoting the technology can stimulate sustainable rural development by improving farmers' welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme climatic events, such as droughts, hinder progress toward achieving the sustainable development goal of food security. South Africa is vulnerable to drought‐related agricultural losses, which have led to food insecurity. However, few studies have focused on the long‐term impacts of drought on crop production at a regional scale. Therefore, we aimed to examine the intensity, magnitude, and trend of rainfall‐based short‐term agricultural drought at the provincial scale in South Africa based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Additionally, we analyzed the impact of agricultural drought on maize yield by calculating the Standardized Yield Residual Series (SYRS) and Crop Drought‐Resilience Factor (CDRF). To this end, we collected rainfall data from 29 stations across nine provinces along with maize yield data for the period of 1993–2022. Agricultural drought analyses based on the three‐month (SPI‐3) and six‐month (SPI‐6) SPIs demonstrated dynamic variations in occurrence, with Sen's slope indicating that 10 stations exhibited a significant increase in drought events across South Africa. Notably, SPI‐6 analysis showed that Gauteng, Free State, and North West provinces experienced the highest percentages of severe to extreme drought events during the study period, at 4.17%, 3.89%, and 3.61%, respectively. Furthermore, the majority of provinces in South Africa experienced an extreme SPI‐6 magnitude ranging from −46.03 in Western Cape Province to −61.6 in Free State Province. The dynamic effects of agricultural drought on maize yield revealed that the maximum yield loss of 13% occurred in 1993 in Eastern Cape Province, while some provinces experienced no yield loss during certain years. However, CDRF analyses identified Western Cape (CDRF [SPI‐3] = 0.52, CDRF [SPI‐6] = 0.62) and Mpumalanga (CDRF [SPI‐6] = 0.7) provinces as the most vulnerable to food insecurity due to the severe non‐resilience of maize to drought in these regions. This study reveals the complex interplay between climatic extremes and maize yield variability, providing valuable insights for managing regional food production systems and ensuring future food security in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This research aimed to investigate the nutrient effects of various special fertilizers and their application methods, as well as to offer a theoretical foundation for the reasonable use of special fertilizers for high-yield of maize production. [Methods] The special fertilizers on the market were utilized as research materials, and the maize pot experiment was set up after they were sorted into functional categories. 14 maize parameters were thoroughly assessed using Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis. Effectively special fertilizers were then selected and used for culturing maize. 10 experimental treatments were set as follows:CK1(no fertilizer), CK2(conventional fertilization), T1(organic fertilizer O12+inorganic fertilizer I3+bio-stimulant M7), T2(organic fertilizer O12+inorganic fertilizer I5+bio-stimulant M7), T3(organic fertilizer O12+inorganic fertilizer I5+bio-stimulant M1), T4(organic fertilizer O12+inorganic fertilizer I3+bio-stimulant M1), T5(organic fertilizer O2+inorganic fertilizer I3+bio-stimulant M7), T6(organic fertilizer O2+inorganic fertilizer I5+bio-stimulant M7), T7(organic fertilizer O2+inorganic fertilizer I5+bio-stimulant M1), and T8(organic fertilizer O2+inorganic fertilizer I3+bio-stimulant M1), with three replications for each treatment, designed in randomized block arrangement. [Results] Compared with the CK1 treatment, the special fertilizer treatment significantly (P<0.05) increased the soil content of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, the available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the CK2 treatment maintained the highest level throughout the reproductive period, reaching 46.0, 38.9 and 179.6 mg·kg-1, respectively, at the six-leaf stage (35 d). Root scanning results demonstrated that T4 treatment greatly accelerated the growth of maize roots, with a significant increase in total root length, root volume, total root surface area, and number of root tips, which increased by 35.5%, 43.9%, 42.2% and 28.9%, respectively, compared with the CK2 treatment. Additionally, the special fertilizer treatment accumulated N, P, K+, Ca2+, Na+and Mg2+ in the maize tissues. Meanwhile, the special fertilizer treatments, especially for T4 treatment significantly promoted maize growth, plant height, stem thickness, leaf area, stem and leaf fresh weight, as well as root fresh weight. [Conclusions] The best special fertilize application method for potted maize culture was set in T4 treatment, with dose for organic fertilizer O12 3.0 t·hm-2, inorganic fertilizer I3 45.0 kg·hm-2 and bio-stimulant M1 by root irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop abandonment is when farmers decide not to harvest their previously planted crop. There is limited but emerging literature on crop abandonment or failure predominantly examining weather and crop failure rates. Consistent with these existing scant studies, it is not immediately clear to what extent historical relationships can be extrapolated in the long run under climate change. This paper seeks to improve our understanding of determinants of crop abandonment decisions in Zambia for maize production at subnational level. We find that crop abandonment (harvesting) is positively (negatively) related to fertiliser use, rainfall and temperature and negatively (positively) related to cost of living, price of maize, index-based insurance cover, town and random shocks. Therefore, fertiliser, rainfall and temperature increase the likelihood of crop abandonment in Zambia whereas increasing cost of living, maize price, insurance participation, town specific and random shock reduce it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work focused on the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a rotary weeding machine for maize cultivation which is powered by a 1.25 hp petrol engine. The research work was aimed at reducing cost, labour, stress and time wastage involved in the weeding operation on the maize farm. The unit comprises of an engine, rotary blade, gearbox, fender, depth controller, walking wheel, handle and shutdown switch. The machine was fabricated from locally sourced materials, which makes it cheap and easily affordable and also easy and cheaper to maintain. The performance test of the machine was done in a maize field. The result of the field test revealed that the effective field capacity, field efficiency, weeding efficiency and the percentage of plant damage was 0.038 ha h-1, 78.75%, 74.0% and 1.40% respectively. The total cost of construction the machine was US$ 191.1. The cost of weeding was US$ 1.45 h -1 or US$ 38.16 ha-1 . In compare with manual weeding the designed weeder can save 67.04% operational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Incidence of fall armyworm in maize has been reported at a severe level since 2018 resulting in low yield and in extreme cases complete failure of the crop. In view of undesirable effects of unilateral reliance on chemicals, greener avenues like intercropping needs to be explored, which promise to subside pests, as well as, provide higher income to cultivators. Methods: Field experiment was conducted during 2019-2021, consecutively for three years to investigate the consequences of intercropping with legumes viz., red gram (Cajanus cajan L.), black gram (Vigna mungo L.), green gram (Vigna radiata L. ), cowpea (Vigna unguiuculata L.), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) on incidence of fall armyworm in maize and the cost economics involved. Result: Among the different intercrops studied, maize+cowpea recorded significantly lowest mean per cent infested plants (45.0 per cent) at 75 days after sowing which was statistically on par with maize+green gram (45.5 per cent). The next effective intercropping system was maize+black gram (55.7 per cent) followed by maize+red gram (58.2 per cent). Maize as a sole crop recorded the highest mean per cent infested plants (76.3 per cent) at 75 days after sowing. The system equivalent yield (SEY) of the intercropping systems under study ascertained that the maize+cowpea achieved highest SEY of 5230 kg per ha followed by maize+green gram (5160 kg per ha) followed by maize+black gram (4900 kg per ha). Upon comparison of the benefit cost ratio (BC ratio), the maize+cowpea proved to be highly profitable with BC ratio of 4.11 followed by maize+green gram (4.05) followed by maize+black gram (3.85), whereas, sole maize recorded minimum BC ratio of 2.87. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Presently, labour force is diminishing and becoming costlier. In agriculture management of weeds in cropped field has become a real challenge to the farmers, since weeds are affecting the crop yields due to competition for growth resources. Intercropping of leguminous crops and application of pre-emergence herbicides offers an ample scope for weed control. Methods: The present study was conducted at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru during 2016 and 2017 on red sandy loam soil and the experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial concept and replicated thrice. There were 15 treatment combinations involving three intercrops and five weed management treatments. Result: The results revealed that intercropping of maize with cowpea has recorded significantly higher grain yield (5842 kg/ha), stover yield (7035 kg/ha) and total nutrients uptake (99.53, 27.37, 96.95 kg/ha NPK, respectively). Among the chemical weed management practices, pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 30% EC @ 1.50 kg a.i./ha has recorded significantly higher grain (6589 kg/ha), stover yield (8033 kg/ha), maize equivalent yield (8860 kg/ha), total nutrients uptake (112.81, 31.05, 109.88 kg/ha NPK, respectively) and B:C ratio (3.35) compared to other weed management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beneficial microbes are crucial for improving crop adaptation and growth under various stresses. They enhance nutrient uptake, improve plant immune responses, and help plants tolerate stresses like drought, salinity, and heat. The yield potential of any crop is significantly influenced by its associated microbiomes and their potential to improve growth under different stressful environments. Therefore, it is crucial and exciting to understand the mechanisms of plant–microbe interactions. Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the primary staple foods worldwide, in addition to wheat and rice. Maize is also an industrial crop globally, contributing 83% of its production for use in feed, starch, and biofuel industries. Maize requires significant nitrogen fertilization to achieve optimal growth and yield. Maize plants are highly susceptible to heat, salinity, and drought stresses and require innovative methods to mitigate the harmful effects of environmental stresses and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. This review summarizes our current understanding of the beneficial interactions between maize plants and specific microbes. These beneficial microbes improve plant resilience to stress and increase productivity. For example, they regulate electron transport, downregulate catalase, and upregulate antioxidants. We also review the roles of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in enhancing stress tolerance in maize. Additionally, we explore the application of these microbes in maize production and identify major knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to utilize the potential of beneficial microbes fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays) represents one of the most successful uses of heterosis among crops. Hybrid maize seeds can be produced by crossing a male-sterile female parent with a male parent as the pollen donor to achieve high seed purity at low cost. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) has been widely used for maize hybrid seed production. Recently, several hybrid seed production technologies based on genic male sterility (GMS) genes have been developed. In addition, the identification of environment-sensitive genic male sterility (EGMS) genes provides opportunities for the two-line system to be applied in maize hybrid seed production. In this review, we systematically summarize the male-sterile genes and molecular mechanisms of male sterility in maize. Future prospects for the study of maize male sterility are highlighted. Future research will enhance our understanding of the molecular regulatory networks of male sterility and promote the process of maize hybrid seed production using male sterile lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper nitrogen management in crops is crucial to ensure optimal growth and yield maximization. While hyperspectral imagery is often used for nitrogen status estimation in crops, it is not feasible for real-time applications due to the complexity and high cost associated with it. Much of the research utilizing RGB data for detecting nitrogen stress in plants relies on datasets obtained under laboratory settings, which limits its usability in practical applications. This study focuses on identifying nitrogen deficiency in maize crops using RGB imaging data from a publicly available dataset obtained under field conditions. We have proposed a custom-built vision transformer model for the classification of maize into three stress classes. Additionally, we have analyzed the performance of convolutional neural network models, including ResNet50, EfficientNetB0, InceptionV3, and DenseNet121, for nitrogen stress estimation. Our approach involves transfer learning with fine-tuning, adding layers tailored to our specific application. Our detailed analysis shows that while vision transformer models generalize well, they converge prematurely with a higher loss value, indicating the need for further optimization. In contrast, the fine-tuned CNN models classify the crop into stressed, non-stressed, and semi-stressed classes with higher accuracy, achieving a maximum accuracy of 97% with EfficientNetB0 as the base model. This makes our fine-tuned EfficientNetB0 model a suitable candidate for practical applications in nitrogen stress detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sowing date of maize significantly impacts its main yield elements. The experiment, conducted at the Research and Development Station for Cattle Breeding (R.D.S.C.B.) Târgu Mureș, Sângeorgiu de Mureș, România, from 2018 to 2021, involved nine maize hybrids from different maturity groups, sown on three dates: early sowing (ES) at 6 °C soil temperature, optimal sowing (OS) at 10 °C soil temperature, and late sowing (LS) two weeks after the optimal date. The experiment was placed in a poly-factorial experience of type: A × B × C × C − R: 3 × 9 × 4 − 3, organized according to the subdivided plots method. The study examined the influence of sowing date on grain yield (GY), thousand-kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW), percentage of grains per cob (% G/C), and grain humidity at harvest (GHH). The results indicated that yield was not negatively impacted by early or late sowing compared to the optimal date, with differences of 52 kg ha−1 between ES and OS, 147 kg ha−1 between ES and LS, and 95 kg ha−1 between OS and LS. ES increased TW (723.4 kg hl−1) and % G/C (86.7%), but reduced GY (13,377 kg ha−1), TKW (335.3 g), and GHH (19.5%). Conversely, LS positively influenced GY (13,524 kg ha−1), TKW (356.7 g), and GHH (23.9%), but negatively affected TW (692.8 kg hl−1) and % G/C (84.9%). Yield data obtained by P9900 and Kapitolis hybrids suggest that they are suitable for early sowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root system architecture is pivotal for the acquisition of water and nutrients in maize, serving as an essential foundation for achieving high and stable yields. Identification of the genetic components and natural variations determining root traits may facilitate molecular breeding of maize varieties with better root traits. Melatonin plays an important role in plant physiology and development. In this study, nine melatonin biosynthesis genes were re-sequenced in 348 inbred lines, 68 landraces, and 32 teosintes to investigate variations related to maize root traits. The analysis of nucleotide diversity suggested that these genes may have undergone selection, particularly within their promoter regions. Marker–trait association analysis identified 26 variants significantly associated with six root traits. Five variations within the ZmTDC4 promoter were significantly correlated with both total root length (TRL) and lateral root length (LRL). Among these, SNP-1784 explained the most phenotypic variation of root traits, including TRL and LRL, that has undergone selection throughout maize domestication and improvement. Furthermore, knockout of ZmTDC4 in maize resulted in a pronounced reduction in root length, underscoring its critical role in root development. Collectively, these findings elucidate the role of melatonin synthesis genes in root development and identified favorable alleles, thus providing key loci for breeding maize varieties with superior root systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf angle (LA) is closely related to plant architecture, photosynthesis and density tolerance in maize. In the current study, we used a recombinant inbred line population constructed by two maize-inbred lines to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling LA. Based on the average LA in three environments, 13 QTLs were detected, with the logarithm of odds ranging from 2.7 to 7.21, and the phenotypic variation explained by a single QTL ranged from 3.93% to 12.64%. A stable QTL, qLA2-3, on chromosome 2 was detected and was considered to be the major QTL controlling the LA. On the basis of verifying the genetic effect of qLA2-3, a fine map was used to narrow the candidate interval, and finally, the target segment was located at a physical distance of approximately 338.46 kb (B73 RefGen_v4 version), containing 16 genes. Re-sequencing and transcriptome results revealed that five candidate genes may be involved in the regulation of LA. The results enrich the information for molecular marker-assisted selection of maize LA and provide genetic resources for the breeding of dense planting varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought and heavier spring storms from climate change will increase crop water stress and affect productivity. A study was conducted to determine whether supplemental irrigation on fine-textured soils with recycled drainage and surface runoff water, combined with nitrogen (N) management, could mitigate these effects. This study was set as a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with three replicates. The main plots, which were individually drained, corresponded to three water management strategies (full irrigation, limited irrigation, and rainfed), and the subplots corresponded to six N rates (0, 90, 134, 179, 224, and 269 kg/ha) in the corn phase of the rotation. In the soybean phase, the same water management strategies were uniformly applied across the subplots. Irrigation and drainage water, volumetric soil water content (SWC), and grain yield data were collected. The full irrigation significantly increased the SWC in the top 60 cm of the soil across crops during the driest year, where it increased by an average of 30% compared with the rainfed conditions. The limited irrigation increased the SWC in the top 20 cm only for the soybean during the driest year, where it increased by as much as 25%. As a result, the supplemental irrigation prevented yield reduction in one year. While the irrigation alone did not significantly affect the grain yield of either crop, the irrigation × N interaction for the corn was consistently significant, which suggests that the N effectively enhanced the corn productivity. The results suggest that reusing drainage water could be a valuable practice for reducing the effects of limited soil water on crops in fine-textured soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital crop susceptible to Gibberella ear rot (GER), a disease caused by Fusarium graminearum, resulting in significant yield losses and mycotoxin production. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between ear characteristics and GER resistance in 74 maize inbred lines (42 with non-stiff stalks and 32 stiff stalks) adapted to the northern Italian environment. Mycotoxin analysis was performed to assess the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA). The results showed a positive correlation between the husk traits, like the husk number and husk cover, and GER resistance in both heterotic groups. A positive correlation was also found between the DON and ZEA concentrations. In addition, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) which identified novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with the husk number, husk cover, ear attitude, and infection score. These QTLs can be utilized in marker-assisted selection for breeding new GER-resistant maize varieties. Our study provides valuable insights into the genetic basis of ear traits and their relationship with GER resistance, which can contribute to an improvement in the environmental and economical sustainability of the corn growing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to assess the suitability of the AquaCrop model for growing maize using brackish water irrigation in Northwest China. Additionally, this study aims to examine how maize utilizes water in various soil layers when irrigated with varying water qualities. The AquaCrop model was calibrated and verified using experimental data from the years 2022 and 2023 in this research. (1) The findings indicated that the AquaCrop model effectively simulated the canopy cover, biomass, and yield of maize when irrigated with brackish water. The validation year's R2, MAPE, and RMSE values for canopy cover, biomass, and yield of maize were 0.95, 5.36%, and 4.77%, respectively. For biomass, the R2, MAPE, and RMSE values were 0.91, 16.61%, and 2.12 t·hm−2, respectively. For yield, the R2, MAPE, and RMSE values were 0.84, 3.62%, and 0.42 t·hm−2, respectively. (2) Irrigation with water of high mineral content, measured at 1.6 ds/m, as well as with fresh water over the whole reproductive period, resulted in an increased reliance on groundwater for maize cultivation. There was no notable disparity in the usage of various soil layers between the irrigation with alternating freshwater and brackish water. (3) The AquaCrop model simulated the effects of seven different irrigation water quality treatments. It was shown that using water with mineralization levels of 0.5 and 0.8 ds/m resulted in decreased freshwater use without causing a substantial decrease in maize yield and biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All major ear rots (F. graminearum, F. verticillioides, and Aspergillus flavus) and their toxins are present in maize of preharvest origin in Hungary. Resistance can be an important tool in reducing the infection and toxin contamination from these rots in maize. Previous results identified resistance differences in maize hybrids that were suitable for use in evaluating their risk from toxigenic fungi and their toxins. During the tests, two methodical improvements were achieved: the use of three isolates of the fungus secured and a more precise estimation of resistance to ear rots and their resistance to toxin accumulation or overproduction. The improvement in sampling and the tests of subsamples made the evaluation for the statistics much more exact. This way, we were able to reduce the Within value, providing a statistically more reliable method of evaluation. Earlier data had confirmed that toxin contamination could not be predicted well from visual ear rot severity data. Contradictory results for hybrid ranking were often identified between isolates. The resistance to disease and toxin contamination is not generally valid. The new suggested methodology compares the performance of hybrids in a large number of epidemic situations to identify adaptable hybrids that can respond to diverse conditions; therefore, the stability of resistance and toxin response is decisive information to evaluate risk analyses. The increased number of disease toxin data allowed for lower LSD 5% values for toxins, a much finer analysis of toxin overproduction and underproduction, and a wider database for stability analyses. This way, we obtained important additional separated information about resistance to accumulation of toxins and about maize resistance to these pathogens that is suitable to provide much more reliable testing than was possible until now. Globally, about 50–100 million metric tons can be saved by excluding susceptible hybrids from commercial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins that may contaminate many crops and more especially maize. To protect consumers from these contaminants, many countries set up low regulatory thresholds of few µg/kg. The control of food requires time-consuming analysis for which sampling is a key step. It would therefore of key sanitary and economic relevance to develop rapid, sensitive and accurate methods that could even be applied on line at harvest, to identify batches to be excluded as soon as possible. In this study, we analyzed more than 500 maize samples taken at harvest during 3 years for their aflatoxin contamination using HPLC-MS. Among them, only 7% were contaminated but sometimes at levels largely exceeding European regulations. We demonstrate that Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIRS) could be of great help to classify cereal samples according to their level of aflatoxin contamination (below or higher than E.U. regulation). To build the model, all AF contaminated samples as well as an equivalent number of AF free samples were used. NIRS performance was not sufficient to quantify the toxins with adequate precision. However, its ability to discriminate naturally contaminated maize samples according to their level of contamination with aflatoxins in relation to European regulations using a quadratic PCA-DA model was excellent. Accuracy of the model was 97.4% for aflatoxin B1 and 100% for total aflatoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural waste is underutilized, and sometimes burning them has a negative impact on the environment and human health. This research investigates the untapped potential of extracts from maize, wheat and sunflower waste as natural materials for cutaneous, specifically, cosmetic application. The possibility of incorporating lipid and ethanol extracts from wheat, maize, and sunflower into creams was investigated together with their potential contribution to the structural and functional properties of the topical formulations. Results of the physicochemical characterization show that investigated extracts can be successfully incorporated into creams with satisfactory stability. All extracts showed a desirable safety profile and good antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms. Lipid extracts have proven to be promising structural ingredients of the oil phase, contributing to the spreadability, occlusivity, and emollient effect. Ethanol extracts influenced washability and stickiness of the formulation and could be considered as prospective ingredients in self-preserving formulations. The extracts affected the sensory properties of the creams, mainly the smell and color. These results suggest that the extracts from wheat, maize, and sunflower waste could be used as multifunctional natural ingredients for cosmetic formulations which can replace less sustainable raw materials. This also represents a valorization of waste and is in line with broader sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combining ability provides insightful information about the genetic mechanisms that govern the inheritance of traits and enables the identification of potential inbred lines; and promising hybrid combinations for crop improvement. However, most studies on quality protein maize (QPM) have focused on nutritional aspects, and very few are focused on their combining ability. In addition, studies on the adaptation, hybrid performance and stability of QPM in temperate areas remain scarce. Therefore, the present study sought to examine the combining ability of eight QPM inbred lines (QPM13, QPM14, QPM20, QPM21, QPM49, QPM50, VQL1, and VQL17). These 8 lines were subjected to half-diallel mating. Consequently, 28 crosses obtained were further evaluated in the temperate region of Kashmir against one check and parents in the RCBD, with three replications in a single row. The results revealed significant variances for general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for most of the recorded agronomic, yield, and quality traits. The crosses QPM49 × VQL1, QPM 13 × QPM14, QPM21 × VQL17, QPM13 × QPM50 and QPM50 × VQL17 were found to perform best in terms of earliness in tasselling (-1.842), silking (-1.204), days to mature (-2.654), highest yield (12.875 g)and protein content (1.113%), respectively. These promising crosses can be viable material sources for future QPM variety development programs in temperate regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Farm, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, West Bengal, India during summer season (February-June), 2022 and 2023, respectively to investigate the effects of drip irrigation and nano zinc oxide biofortification on maize. In the main plot, four drip irrigations scheduling treatments viz., once-in-2 days, once-in-3 days, once-in-4 days and Irrigation by surface flooding method were accommodated. The sub-plot treatments consisted of five methods of zinc applications viz., control, soil application of ZnSO4 at 20 kg ha-1, foliar application of ZnO NP at 40 ppm, seed priming of ZnO NP (NP:Nano Particles) at 40 ppm, and seed coating of ZnO NP at 40 ppm. Growth parameter like plant height and number of leaves were highest with application water through drip irrigation once-in-3 days and seed coating of ZnO NP at 40 ppm at 30 DAS for both the years but at 90 DAS, drip irrigation once-in-2 days and seed coating of ZnO NP recorded highest growth parameters. Aerial dry matter accumulation in unit area recorded maximum in drip irrigation oncein-3 days and seed coating of ZnO NP at 40 ppm at 30 DAS but at 90 DAS drip irrigation once-in-2 days and seed coating of ZnO NP recorded highest. Cob girth, number of grains cob-1, seed index, grain yield and biological yield was observed highest with drip irrigation once-in-2 days and seed coating of ZnO NP in zinc treatment for both the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the main breeding objective for maize (Zea mays L.) is increasing the yield of single-cross hybrids. In this regard, developing yield-prediction models based on genetic markers for hybrids can enhance the probability of obtaining hybrid vigour in maize single-cross hybrids and reduce the cycle for germplasm development (inbred lines). In this study, we used simple sequence repeat markers to genotype 257 cross combinations from 97 commonly used maize inbred lines classified into four heterotic groups (Domestic Reid, P78599-type BSSS, Tangsipingtou, and Lvda Red Cob). We calculated the Q values (the probability of each individual's genomic variation coming from each subpopulation) of each inbred line's genetic components. We found that these reflected genetic distances between the parental inbred lines. The parental genetic difference was identified as a key factor influencing heterosis for yield performance of single-cross hybrids, and the interaction factors of Q values between the parents were found to be highly correlated with the accuracy of single-cross hybrid yield predictions. Moreover, we developed a yield-prediction model for maize single-cross hybrids based on our established equation: Y = 9480.2 − 2352.6R1R2 − 1411.8R1L2 + 94.1R1P2 + 1148.0R1S2 − 988.8L1R2 − 1016.9L1L2 − 655.7L1P2 − 1175.4L1S2 − 569.1P1R2 + 371.6P1L2 − 604.2P1P2 + 1684.7P1S2 + 733.1S1R2 + 726.9S1L2 + 924.2S1P2 − 1678.1S1S2 (the correlation coefficient r = 0.4778). Using this model for maize breeding, we achieved prediction accuracies of 66.7% and 76.9% for low and high-yielding single-cross combinations, thereby reducing the workload in field assessment experiments and improving breeding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major constraint for maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing high-yielding drought-tolerant maize germplasm will safeguard maize yields in the ever-increasing fluctuating rainfall conditions. This study aimed to identify high-yielding inbred lines with stable performance for utilization in hybrid production. One hundred eighty-two (182) maize inbred lines were evaluated under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions at Ukulinga, Makhathini, and Cedara research stations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The experiments were carried out in a 13 × 14 alpha lattice design with two replications. The inbred lines exhibited significant differences (p ≤ 0.001) for grain yield and yield-related traits under well-watered and drought-stressed environments. The GGE biplot identified three mega-environments, clearly separating drought-stressed from well-watered environments. Inbred lines TZISTR1190, TZISTR1231, TZISTR1261 and CML540 were superior under well-watered conditions, while TZISTR1164 and CML390 performed well under drought condition. TZISTR1190 displayed both high average yield and stability across environments. Inbred lines combining stable high yielding performance in optimum and stress conditions such as TZISTR1190 and TZISTR1231, can be incorporated into local maize breeding pipelines to develop stable high yielding resilient hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel approach to genome-wide association studies (GWAS) by leveraging unstructured, spoken phenotypic descriptions to identify genomic regions associated with maize traits. Utilizing the Wisconsin Diversity panel, we collected spoken descriptions of Zea mays ssp. mays traits, converting these qualitative observations into quantitative data amenable to GWAS analysis. First, we determined that visually striking phenotypes could be detected from unstructured spoken phenotypic descriptions. Next, we developed two methods to process the same descriptions to derive the trait plant height, a well-characterized phenotypic feature in maize: (1) a semantic similarity metric that assigns a score based on the resemblance of each observation to the concept of 'tallness' and (2) a manual scoring system that categorizes and assigns values to phrases related to plant height. Our analysis successfully corroborated known genomic associations and uncovered novel candidate genes potentially linked to plant height. Some of these genes are associated with gene ontology terms that suggest a plausible involvement in determining plant stature. This proof-of-concept demonstrates the viability of spoken phenotypic descriptions in GWAS and introduces a scalable framework for incorporating unstructured language data into genetic association studies. This methodology has the potential not only to enrich the phenotypic data used in GWAS and to enhance the discovery of genetic elements linked to complex traits but also to expand the repertoire of phenotype data collection methods available for use in the field environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amylose and resistant starch (RS) possess diverse health benefits besides serving as an important component in the starch industry. This study analyzed 48 subtropically‐adapted maize inbreds at multiple locations and characterized for specific starch genes using markers specific to SNPs. Significant variation for amylose (0.3–66.4%), RS (1.8–38.0%), and total starch (65.5–75.1%) is observed. Amylose showed a positive correlation with RS (r = 0.79**). Molecular analysis using 29 markers produced 40 alleles with an average major allele frequency of 0.84. Gene diversity, polymorphism information content (PIC), and genetic dissimilarity are 0.23, 0.19, and 0.33, respectively. The genotypes are categorized into six major clusters based on the markers, and high amylose and RS lines are assigned to cluster‐A and cluster‐B. The alleles associated with Sbe2b (84 bp Del) and Sbe1a (SNP "A") showed positive correlations with amylose and RS. Additionally, allele "A" linked to the Sucrose transporter6 (Sut6) displayed a positive correlation with RS. Considering Sbe2b, Sbe1a and Sut6 genes, six haplotypes are observed, of these, hap‐A possessed the highest amylose and RS. The promising inbreds can be used as donors, while the validated markers for Sbe2b, Sbe1a and Sut6 genes can be effectively utilized for the improvement of amylose and RS through molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature (LT) is one of the major abiotic stresses that restrict the growth and development of maize seedlings. Brassinolides (BRs) have been shown to enhance LT tolerance in several plant species; the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which BRs enhance maize tolerance are still unclear. Here, we characterized changes in the physiology and transcriptome of N192 and Ji853 seedlings at the three-leaf stage with or without 2 μM 2,4-epibrassinolide (EBR) application at 25 and 15 °C environments via high-performance liquid chromatography and RNA-Sequencing. Physiological analyses revealed that EBR increased the antioxidant enzyme activities, enhanced the cell membrane stability, decreased the malondialdehyde formation, and inhibited the reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in maize seedlings under 15 °C stress; meanwhile, EBR also maintained hormone balance by increasing indole-3-acetic acid and gibberellin 3 contents and decreasing the abscisic acid level under stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed 332 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in ROS homeostasis, plant hormone signal transduction, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. These DEGs exhibited synergistic and antagonistic interactions, forming a complex LT tolerance network in maize. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that 109 hub genes involved in LT stress regulation pathways were discovered from the four modules with the highest correlation with target traits. In conclusion, our findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of exogenous BRs in enhancing LT tolerance of maize at the seedling stage, thus opening up possibilities for a breeding program of maize tolerance to LT stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important and widespread corn/maize virus diseases is maize dwarf mosaic (MDM), which can be induced by sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). This study explores a machine learning analysis of five-band multispectral imagery collected via an unmanned aerial system (UAS) during the 2021 and 2022 seasons for SCMV disease detection in corn fields. The three primary objectives are to (i) determine the spectral bands and vegetation indices that are most important or correlated with SCMV infection in corn, (ii) compare spectral signatures of mock-inoculated and SCMV-inoculated plants, and (iii) compare the performance of four machine learning algorithms, including ridge regression, support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and XGBoost, in predicting SCMV during early and late stages in corn. On average, SCMV-inoculated plants had higher reflectance values for blue, green, red, and red-edge bands and lower reflectance for near-infrared as compared to mock-inoculated samples. Across both years, the XGBoost regression model performed best for predicting disease incidence percentage (R2 = 0.29, RMSE = 29.26), and SVM classification performed best for the binary prediction of SCMV-inoculated vs. mock-inoculated samples (72.9% accuracy). Generally, model performances appeared to increase as the season progressed into August and September. According to Shapley additive explanations (SHAP analysis) of the top performing models, the simplified canopy chlorophyll content index (SCCCI) and saturation index (SI) were the vegetation indices that consistently had the strongest impacts on model behavior for SCMV disease regression and classification prediction. The findings of this study demonstrate the potential for the development of UAS image-based tools for farmers, aiming to facilitate the precise identification and mapping of SCMV infection in corn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The antagonistic interplay between phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) in plants is well established. However, the molecular mechanisms mediating those interactions as influenced by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis remain unclear.We investigated Zn concentrations, root AM symbiosis, and transcriptome profiles of maize roots grown under field conditions upon different P levels. We also validated genotype‐dependent P–Zn uptake in selected genotypes from a MAGIC population and conducted mycorrhizal inoculation experiments using mycorrhizal‐defective mutant pht1;6 to elucidate the significance of AM symbiosis in P–Zn antagonism. Finally, we assessed how P supply affects Zn transporters and Zn uptake in extraradical hyphae within a three‐compartment system.Elevated P levels led to a significant reduction in maize Zn concentration across the population, correlating with a marked decline in AM symbiosis, thus elucidating the P–Zn antagonism. We also identified ZmPht1;6 is crucial for AM symbiosis and confirmed that P–Zn antagonistic uptake is dependent on AM symbiosis. Moreover, we found that high P suppressed the expression of the fungal RiZRT1 and RiZnT1 genes, potentially impacting hyphal Zn uptake.We conclude that high P exerts systemic regulation over root and AM hyphae‐mediated Zn uptake in maize. These findings hold implications for breeding Zn deficiency‐tolerant maize varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]