Genetius

The study quantifies biological nitrogen fixation in Mexican maize varieties and investigates the genetics of aerial root traits using a double‑haploid population derived from the elite inbred PHZ51 crossed with landraces. Aerial root number, node presence, and diameter show moderate to high heritability, and QTL mapping identifies multiple loci—most landrace alleles increasing root number and PHZ51 alleles enhancing root diameter—suggesting that stacking favorable QTL could improve BNF in elite maize, pending field validation.

The study characterizes the protein and lipid composition of plastoglobule lipid droplets in Zea mays (B73) during drought and recovery, identifying key polar and neutral lipids and abundant fibrillin proteins, especially Fibrillin 4 linked to plastoquinone‑9 accumulation. These findings lay groundwork for exploiting plastoglobules to enhance crop resilience to water deficit.

The study evaluated how temperature shifts affect maize (Zea mays) susceptibility to the smut pathogen Ustilago maydis, using climate data, infection trials, and RNA‑seq across multiple cultivars. Minimal temperature increases heightened disease symptoms and altered gene expression, pinpointing GSL4 and γ‑aminobutyric acid as key infection factors.

The study presents the 3.41 Å cryo‑EM structure of the maize high‑affinity urea transporter ZmDUR3, revealing an APC superfamily fold, a tetrameric assembly, and acidic residues likely involved in proton‑coupled urea transport. These insights clarify DUR3’s substrate recognition and mechanism, enabling engineering of crops for improved nitrogen use efficiency.

The study introduces a Stomatal Patterning Phenotype (SPP) spatial analysis to decompose stomatal density into component traits using high‑throughput phenotyping data from 180 recombinant inbred lines of maize. By deriving traits related to cell size, packing, and positional probabilities, the authors explain 74% of SD variation, construct a structural equation model, and pinpoint specific stomatal patterning QTL, revealing novel insights into genotype‑phenotype relationships.

TS201, a U.S. EPA‑registered bioinsecticide based on the bacterium Methylorubrum extorquens, was shown over seven years of trials to increase maize yield and reduce lodging under pest pressure. Large‑scale tests at 81 sites confirmed its agronomic benefit, which is mediated by microbe‑induced production of the volatile insect‑repellent methyl anthranilate that deters pests from treated roots.

The study demonstrates that mutating maize A-type cyclin genes, homologous to Arabidopsis TAM, enables efficient production of diploid gametes, resulting in tetraploid progeny, thereby providing a viable apomeiosis component for synthetic apomixis. Combined with previously established parthenogenesis via ZmBABY BOOM 1, this offers a strategy to fix hybrid vigor in maize through clonal seed reproduction.

The study evaluated nixtamalization moisture content (NMC) in diverse and elite maize hybrids, revealing that despite strong environmental influence, sufficient genetic variance and both additive and dominant gene actions enable selection for NMC without compromising yield. Genomic prediction models using NIR spectroscopy data achieved moderate to high prediction accuracy (Spearman > 0.44, RMSE < 0.006), demonstrating the trait’s suitability for early‑generation breeding decisions.

The study examined how sudden changes in non‑saturating light intensity affect photosynthetic efficiency in the C4 crop maize (Zea mays) by measuring photosynthetic rates and metabolite pools over time. Decreases in irradiance caused transient buffering via large intercellular shuttle metabolites, but the system fell into a sub‑optimal metabolic state that required minutes to recover, while increases in irradiance produced delayed steady‑state photosynthesis due to enzyme regulation and the need to replenish metabolite pools, with CO2 back‑leakage and photorespiration further reducing efficiency.

The study investigates how fluctuating light and suboptimal temperature affect the coordination between electron transport and CO₂ assimilation in maize (Zea mays). At room temperature, fluctuating light causes a decoupling of these processes, which is mitigated by large pools of C₄ metabolites, whereas low temperatures restore tighter coupling through feedback downregulation of electron transport and increased light saturation of CO₂ assimilation.