Corn's hidden hormone switch could boost yields over 20 percent
Li L, Shen X, Ren Z, Yuan Z, Wang G
Crop Improvement
The corn on your dinner plate could get more abundant not through new genetics but through a simple chemical spray that lets a plant's secondary ears catch up to its main one.
Corn plants can grow more than one ear, but usually only the top one develops fully while the lower ones stay small and get left behind. Researchers discovered that a plant hormone called strigolactone rushes the main ear along while ethylene puts the brakes on the lower ears, and when they blocked the strigolactone signal, the smaller ears caught up and total corn production jumped by more than 20%. It's a clever example of how tweaking a plant's internal chemistry, rather than its genes, can unlock more food from the same field.
Key Findings
Analyzed 66 transcriptome samples across primary, secondary, and third ears in maize inbred B73, finding strigolactone signaling (including SBP transcription factors) dominant in primary ears while ethylene-related genes (ZmEREB131, ZmACCO35) were enriched in third ears.
Knockout of ZmEREB131 and ZmACCO35 accelerated development and elongated ears compared to wild-type, confirming ethylene signaling drives ear maturation arrest in lower positions.
Applying a strigolactone inhibitor synchronized primary and secondary ear development, increasing total yield by more than 20% without reducing primary ear performance.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found that maize plants use different hormone signals to control whether their second and third ears grow well or stay stunted. By blocking one of these hormone signals with a chemical spray, they boosted total corn yield by over 20% without hurting the main ear.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Transcriptional and phytohormonal regulation of positional ear development reveals yield strategies in maize.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital global crop, contributing ∼37% of annual grain production. Enhancing yield per unit area is crucial for food security, yet research has primarily focused on single-ea...
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Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...