One gene makes corn shorter and easier to harvest by machine
Zhou W, Liu J, Li Y, He H, Lian X
Crop Improvement
Shorter, sturdier corn stalks mean less crop lost to wind and storms before it ever reaches the combine, which is why plant breeders are racing to put this gene into the hybrids farmers actually plant.
Researchers found a single gene in corn that acts like a height dial, controlling both how tall the whole plant grows and how high the ears sit on the stalk. When they disabled the gene, plants ended up over a third shorter with ears sitting much lower, because the gene normally helps the plant respond to growth hormones that stretch out its stem segments. The exciting part is that crossing this dwarf version into five different commercial corn lines gave reliably shorter, sturdier plants without shrinking the ears or cutting into yield, making it a promising tool for breeding corn that stands up better to wind and works well with mechanical harvesters.
Key Findings
Mutating the ZmDLE1 gene (which encodes an Expansin-B4 protein) reduced plant height by 35% and ear height by 63% compared to normal corn
The height reduction comes from fewer and shorter stem segments below the ear, linked to lower levels of gibberellin hormones (GA1 and GA3) in the mutant
Crossing the dwarf mutant into five elite commercial corn lines produced shorter hybrids with reduced ear height but no loss in ear quality or yield-related traits
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found a gene that controls how tall corn plants grow and how high their ears sit on the stalk. Breeding this gene into commercial corn lines could produce shorter, sturdier plants that resist wind damage and work better with mechanical harvesters, all without losing yield.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Functional analysis and breeding application of the ZmDLE1 for maize plant height.
Plant height (PH) and ear height (EH) are critical agronomic traits in maize breeding, directly affecting lodging resistance, mechanical harvesting, and yield potential. In this study, we identifie...
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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 ...