Maize is susceptible to a number of diseases that can infect all plant organs and serve as a constraint on cereal production. The reduction in cereal production caused by disease is estimated at an average of 9.4%. Co...Maize is susceptible to a number of diseases that can infect all plant organs and serve as a constraint on cereal production. The reduction in cereal production caused by disease is estimated at an average of 9.4%. Corn root rot contributes greatly to the reduction in grain production and quality. The main objective of this work was to review the research on root rot in maize to determine the susceptibility of genotypes to root rot and to quantify the inheritance of resistance to root rot in maize. The methodology used was a complete 8 × 8 diallel design planted during the year 1999/2000. Root discoloration, plant length, root volume, effective volume and yield were the evaluated parameters. To analyze the data and determine the combinatorial abilities, genetic correlations, heritability and correlated response, diallel analysis was used. Eight parental lines;P28, I137TN, MP706, E739, MO17, B37, B73, and B14 were planted. The lines were crossed into each other, all combinations according to the complete diallel model (Model 1). The F1 was harvested after maturation. For statistical analysis, the version of the Agrobase program (2016) was used. Results show that F1 hybrids showed significant differences in root rot discoloration, plant height, root volume, effective root volume and yield. The P28 line and the B73XE739 cross had, respectively, the highest general and specific combinations. Root discoloration had the highest genetic correlation (r<sub>A</sub> = 0.47) with plant length. Broad and narrow heritability for root rot discoloration were, respectively, h<sup>2</sup> = 0.81 and h<sub>2</sub><sub> </sub>= 0.51. Root rot discoloration showed the highest correlated response (C<sub>R</sub> = 0.14) on plant length.展开更多
As the most important organ in plant photosynthesis, the leaf plays an important role in plant growth and development. Leaf senescence is associated with fundamental changes in the proteome. To research the molecular ...As the most important organ in plant photosynthesis, the leaf plays an important role in plant growth and development. Leaf senescence is associated with fundamental changes in the proteome. To research the molecular mechanisms of leaf senescence, protein expression in senescing maize ear leaves grown under field conditions was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry（MALDI-TOF/TOF MS）. A total of 60 senescence-associated proteins were identified. The identified proteins are involved in many biological processes, especially energy, metabolism and protein synthesis. Several of the identified proteins have not been previously reported as senescence-associated, including glycine-rich RNA-binding protein.展开更多
Waterlogging strongly affects agronomic performance of maize （Zea mays L.）. In order to investigate the suitable selection criteria of waterflooding tolerant genotypes, and identify the most susceptible stage and th...Waterlogging strongly affects agronomic performance of maize （Zea mays L.）. In order to investigate the suitable selection criteria of waterflooding tolerant genotypes, and identify the most susceptible stage and the best continuous treatment time to waterlogging, 20 common maize inbred lines were subjected to successive artificial waterflooding at seedling stage, and waterlogging tolerance coefficient （WTC） was used to screen waterflooding tolerant genotypes. In addition, peroxidase （POD） activities and malondialdehyde （MDA） contents were measured for 6 of 20 lines. The results showed that the second leaf stage （V2） was the most susceptible stage, and 6 d after waterflooding was the best continuous treatment time. Dry weight （DW） of both shoots and roots of all lines were significantly reduced at 6 d time-point of waterlogging, compared to control. POD activities and MDA contents were negatively and significantly correlated, and the correlation coefficient was -0.9686 （P 〈 0.0001）. According to the results, WTC of shoot DW can be used for practical screening as a suitable index, which is significantly different from control and waterlogged plants happened 6 d earlier. Furthermore, leaf chlorosis, MDA content and POD activities could also be used as reference index for material screening. The implications of the results for waterlogging-tolerant material screening and waterlogging-tolerant breeding have been discussed in maize.展开更多
Study on relative sensitivity of maize (Zea mays L.) Nongda108 and Nongda3138 to sulfony-lurea herbicide chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl using maize taproot length by sand bioassy indicated that, Nongda3138 had hi...Study on relative sensitivity of maize (Zea mays L.) Nongda108 and Nongda3138 to sulfony-lurea herbicide chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl using maize taproot length by sand bioassy indicated that, Nongda3138 had higher tolerance to chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl than Nongda108 did. Chlorsulfuron had stronger growth inhibition to maize Nongda108 and Nongda3138 than tribenuron-methyl did. Study on target enzyme of sulfonylurea herbicide acetolactate synthase (ALS) showed that, chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl inhibited ALS in vitro strongly, and non-competitively. In the same concentration of inhibitors, chlorsulfuron had stronger ALS activity inhibition than tribenuron-methyl did. Lower level of chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl has no ALS activity inhibition in vivo, the ALS inhibition only occurred in the condition of high concentration of chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl in vivo.展开更多
A field experiment was conducted during spring 2011 at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to evaluate the comparative efficacy of Zn uptake and grain yield in three maize hybrids ...A field experiment was conducted during spring 2011 at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to evaluate the comparative efficacy of Zn uptake and grain yield in three maize hybrids namely Pioneer-32F 10, Monsanto-6525 and Hycorn-8288 through the application of Zn in the form of ZnSO4. The ZnSO4 treatments comprised;soil application at the time of sowing @ 12 kg·ha-1 (Zn1), foliar application at vegetative stage (9 leaf stage) @ 1% ZnSO4 solution (Zn2) and foliar application at reproductive stage (anthesis) @ 1% ZnSO4 solution (Zn3) and one treatment was kept as a control, where zinc was not applied (Zn0). The experimental results showed substantial difference in all physiological and yield parameters except plant height and stem diameter. Statistically maximum grain yield (8.76 t·ha-1) was obtained with foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage (Zn2) in case of Monsanto-6525. As regard to quality parameters, Pioneer-32F 10 and Hycorn-8288 accumulated more zinc contents in grains but Monsanto-6525 attained more zinc concentration in straw. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage produced 19.42% more zinc contents in grains as compared to other ZnSO4 treatments. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage in Monsanto-6525 hybrid produced higher grain yield.展开更多
A reliable system was developed for regeneration from mature embryos derived from callus of four maize inbred lines （Liao 7980, Dan 9818, Dan 340, and Dan 5026）. The protocol was mainly based on a series of experime...A reliable system was developed for regeneration from mature embryos derived from callus of four maize inbred lines （Liao 7980, Dan 9818, Dan 340, and Dan 5026）. The protocol was mainly based on a series of experiments involving the composition of culture medium. We found that 9 pM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in MS medium was optimum for the induction of callus. The induction frequency of primary calli was over 85% for four inbred lines tested. The addition of L- proline （12 mM） in subculture medium significantly promoted the formation of embryogenic callus but it did not significantly enhance growth rate of callus. Efficient shoot regeneration was obtained on regeneration medium containing 2.22 μM 6- benzylaminopurine in combinations with 4.64 μM Kinetin. Regenerated shoots were rooted on half-strength MS medium containing 2.85 μM indole-3-butyric acid. This plant regeneration system provides a foundation for genetic transformation of maize.展开更多
Cell wall architecture plays a key role in stalk strength and forage digestibility.Lignin,cellulose,and hemicellulose are the three main components of plant cell walls,and they can impact stalk quality by affecting th...Cell wall architecture plays a key role in stalk strength and forage digestibility.Lignin,cellulose,and hemicellulose are the three main components of plant cell walls,and they can impact stalk quality by affecting the structure and strength of the cell wall.To explore cell wall development during secondary cell wall lignification in maize stalks,conventional and conditional genetic mapping were used to identify the dynamic quantitative trait loci(QTLs)of the cell wall components and digestibility traits during five growth stages after silking.Acid detergent lignin(ADL),cellulose(CEL),acid detergent fiber(ADF),neutral detergent fiber(NDF),and in vitro dry matter digestibility(IVDMD)were evaluated in a maize recombinant inbred line(RIL)population.ADL,CEL,ADF,and NDF gradually increased from 10 to 40 days after silking(DAS),and then they decreased.IVDMD initially decreased until 40 DAS,and then it increased slightly.Seventytwo QTLs were identified for the five traits,and each accounted for 3.48–24.04%of the phenotypic variation.Six QTL hotspots were found,and they were localized in the 1.08,2.04,2.07,7.03,8.05,and 9.03 bins of the maize genome.Within the interval of the pleiotropic QTL identified in bin 1.08 of the maize genome,six genes associated with cell wall component biosynthesis were identified as potential candidate genes for stalk strength as well as cell wall-related traits.In addition,26 conditional QTLs were detected in the five stages for all of the investigated traits.Twenty-two of the 26 conditional QTLs were found at 30 DAS conditioned using the values of 20 DAS,and at 50 DAS conditioned using the values of 40 DAS.These results indicated that cell wall-related traits are regulated by many genes,which are specifically expressed at different stages after silking.Simultaneous improvements in both forage digestibility and lodging resistance could be achieved by pyramiding multiple beneficial QTL alleles identified in this study.展开更多
Improvement in seed vigor under adverse condition is an important object in maize breeding nowadays. Because the higher sowing quality of seeds is necessary for the development of the agriculture production and better...Improvement in seed vigor under adverse condition is an important object in maize breeding nowadays. Because the higher sowing quality of seeds is necessary for the development of the agriculture production and better able to resist all kinds of adversity in the seeds storage. So it is helpful for long-term preservation of germplasm resource. In our study, two connected recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations, which derived from the crosses Yu82 × Shen137 and Yu537A × Shen137 respectively, were evaluated for four related traits of seed vigor under three aging treatments. Meta-analysis was used to integrate genetic maps and detected QTL across two populations. In total, 74 QTL and 20 meta-QTL (mQTL) were detected. All QTLs with contributions (R2) over 10% were consistently detected in at least one of aging treatments and integrated in mQTL. Four key mQTLs (mQTL2-2, mQTL5-3, mQTL6 and mQTL8) with R2 of some initial QTLs > 10% included 5-9 initial QTLs associated with 2-4 traits. Therefore, the chromosome regions for four mQTLs with high QTL co-localization might be hot spots of the important QTLs for the associated traits. Twenty-two key candidate genes regulating four related traits of seed vigor mapped in 14 corresponding mQTLs. In particular, At5g67360, 45238345/At1g70730/At1g09640 and 298201206 were mapped within the important mQTL5-3, mQTL6 and mQTL8 regions, respectively. Fine mapping or construction of single chromosome segment lines for genetic regions of the three mQTLs is worth further study and could be put to use molecular marker-assisted breeding and pyramiding QTLs in maize.展开更多
Drought, like many other environmental stresses, has adverse effects on crop yield including maize (Zea mays L.). Low water availability is one of the major causes for maize yield reductions affecting the majority of ...Drought, like many other environmental stresses, has adverse effects on crop yield including maize (Zea mays L.). Low water availability is one of the major causes for maize yield reductions affecting the majority of the farmed regions around the world. Therefore, the development of drought-tolerant lines becomes increasingly more important. In maize, a major effect of water stress is a delay in silking, resulting in an increase in the anthesis-silking interval, which is an important cause of yield failures. Diverse strategies are used by breeding programs to improve drought tolerance. Conventional breeding has improved the drought tolerance of temperate maize hybrids and the use of managed drought environments, accurate phenotyping, and the identification and deployment of secondary traits has been effective in improving the drought tolerance of tropical maize populations and hybrids as well. The contribution of molecular biology will be potential to identify key genes involved in metabolic pathways related to the stress response. Functional genomics, reverse and forward genetics, and comparative genomics are all being deployed with a view to achieving these goals. However, a multidisciplinary approach, which ties together breeding, physiology and molecular genetics, can bring a synergistic understanding to the response of maize to water deficit and improve the breeding efficiency.展开更多
While being one of the world's most important crops,maize ( Zea mays L.) is still difficult to regenerate in tissue culture which severely limits its improvement by genetic engineering.Currently,immature zygotic e...While being one of the world's most important crops,maize ( Zea mays L.) is still difficult to regenerate in tissue culture which severely limits its improvement by genetic engineering.Currently,immature zygotic embryos provide the predominantly used material for regeneration and transformation.However,the procedures involved are often laborious,time-consuming and season-dependent.Here,we further improved an efficient tissue culture and plant regeneration system that uses maize leaf segments of young seedlings as an alternative explant source.Embryogenic calli were evaluated by morphology,proliferation and regeneration capacity.All these indicated that seedling-derived leaf materials have the potential to replace immature embryos for tissue culture and regeneration.展开更多
common maize synthetic rate（ Photosynthetic characteristics were probed by sweet maize, waxy maize, high starch maize and The results revealed that leaf area index （LAI）, chlorophyll a content, chlorophyll b cont...common maize synthetic rate（ Photosynthetic characteristics were probed by sweet maize, waxy maize, high starch maize and The results revealed that leaf area index （LAI）, chlorophyll a content, chlorophyll b content,photo-PR） showed single peak curve at the whole growth stage. The stages of peak were different according to different varieties. NEAUS4 had the lowest peak and while SIDAN 19 had the highest among all stages. Ratio of chlorophyll a to b was low at seedling stage, reached the peak atjointing stage and then declined. SIDAN 19 had the lower level at the last stages.展开更多
Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait that suppresses the production of viable pollen. CMS is a useful biological tool for confinement strategies to facilitate coexistence of genetically mod...Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait that suppresses the production of viable pollen. CMS is a useful biological tool for confinement strategies to facilitate coexistence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops in case where it is required. The trait is reversible and can be restored to fertility in the presence of nuclear restorer genes (Rf genes) and by environmental impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the level of irrigation on the stability of CMS maize hybrids under defined greenhouse conditions. Additionally the combination of irrigation and air temperature was studied. Three CMS maize hybrids were grown with different levels of irrigation and in different temperature regimes. Tassel characteristics, pollen production and fertility were assessed. The CMS stability was high in hot air temperatures and decreased in lower temperatures. The level of irrigation had no major effect on the level of sterility. The extent of these phenomena was depending on the genotype of CMS maize and should be known before using CMS for coexistence purposes.展开更多
Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with ex...Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with extremely low ear height and B73. Through the SNP-based genotyping and phenotypic characterization, 13 QTL distributed on the chromosomes (Chrs) of Chr1, Chr2, Chr5-Chr8 were detected for four traits of internode no. above ear (INa), average internode length above ear (ILaa), internode no. below ear (INb), and average internode length below ear (ILab). Phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by a single QTL ranged from 6.82% (qILab2-2) to 12.99% (qILaa5). Zm00001d016823 within the physical region of qILaa5, the major QTL for ILaa with the largest PVE was determined as the candidate through the genomic annotation and sequence alignment between EHel and B73. Product of Zm00001d016823 was annotated as a WEB family protein homogenous to At1g75720. qRT-PCR assay showed that Zm00001d016823 highly expressed within the tissue of internode, exhibiting statistically higher expression levels among internodes of IN4 to IN7 in EHel than those in B73 (P Zm00001d016823 might provide novel insight into molecular mechanism beyond phytohormones controlling internode development in maize.展开更多
Two hybrids of maize with different responses to sulfur were used in the pool experiment. The effects of nitrogen and sulfur on the grain quality of maize were evaluated. The results indicated that grain quality chang...Two hybrids of maize with different responses to sulfur were used in the pool experiment. The effects of nitrogen and sulfur on the grain quality of maize were evaluated. The results indicated that grain quality changed with the nutrition supply. The contents of proteins, amino acids, soluble sugar, crude fat, oil, N, P, K, S and microelements in the grain were improved due to nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer addition. But the effects of nitrogen and sulfur were not the same. Nitrogen increased starch content of the grain, but S decreased the content. Both N and S enhanced the proportion of amylopectin in starch. Sulfur nutrition significantly improved the grain quality of maize when a large amount of nitrogen was used together. Both hybrids had similar response to N and S treatments.展开更多
Low energy ion beam implantation was applied to the maize （Zea mays L） embryo proteome using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein profile analysis detected more than Ii00 protein spots, 72 of which were dete...Low energy ion beam implantation was applied to the maize （Zea mays L） embryo proteome using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein profile analysis detected more than Ii00 protein spots, 72 of which were determined to be expressed differently in the treated and control （not exposed to ion beam implantation） embryos. Of the 72 protein spots, 53 were up- regulated in the control and 19 were more abundantly expressed in the ion beam-treated embryos. The spots of up- or down-regulated proteins were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）. Among the identified proteins, ii were up-regulated in the treated embryos. Four of these up-regulated proteins were antioxidant molecules, three were related to stress response, two to sugar metabolism and two were associated with heat shock response. Of the five proteins up-regulated in the control embryos, three were functionally related to carbohydrate metabolism; the functions of the remaining two proteins were unknown. The data collected during this study indicate that treatment of maize embryos with low energy ion beam implantation induces changes in stress tolerance enzymes/proteins, possibly as a result of alterations in metabolism.展开更多
Ear morphological traits such as volume and shape are important features of maize and the quantitative associations among them can help understand kernel yield determination. 150 mature ears each of 4 maize cultivars ...Ear morphological traits such as volume and shape are important features of maize and the quantitative associations among them can help understand kernel yield determination. 150 mature ears each of 4 maize cultivars were collected from field experiments, and ear length(L), diameter(D), area(S) and volume(V) were recorded for individual ears, kernel weight per ear also recorded for a portion of the examined ears. Following principles of dimensional analysis, 8 theoretical equations of 3 sets,which relate ear higher dimensions to its length and diameter, were developed and parameterized and validated with the field observations. The 3 optimized equations showed that the shape of ears in maize can be featured with 3 dimensionless form factors, namely diameter-to-length ratio(c=D/L), areal form factor(b=S/L/D), and volumetric form factor(a=V/L/D/D). Statistically,all of them were significantly different among cultivars, and a's values varied from 0.582 to 0.612, and b's 0.839-0.868, and c's 0.242-0.308. Volumetric form factor and areal form factor could estimate precisely ear volume and area respectively, but diameter-to-length ratio was not suitable to estimate ear diameter by its length. Ear volume explained almost all variation of ear kernel weight and product L*D*D did the same substantially. Dimensional analysis proved to be promising in understanding relationship among morphological traits of ears in maize. Its application in crop researches should improve our knowledge of the physical properties of crop plants.展开更多
The pollen tube pathway method of transformation has been reported to be successful in most crops, but less successfu in maizc. DNA can be transferred by cutting the stigma following pollination and applying the DNA s...The pollen tube pathway method of transformation has been reported to be successful in most crops, but less successfu in maizc. DNA can be transferred by cutting the stigma following pollination and applying the DNA solution in a suitable period DNA presumably reaches the ovary by flowing down the pollen tube and then integrates into the just fertilized but undivided zygotic cells. To provide the molecular evidence for this procedure, the plasmids pGBIRC carrying a CaMV35S promoter-PPT acetyle transferase （bar） gene-nos terminator genc fusion construct were used. Total 3 276 seeds were produced from the ears trcated with DNA. It was found that 35 scedlings were GUS assay positive, but less intense than that of the positive controls, of which 17 were PCR amplification positive. But, only 13 of the seeds from the plants treated with DNA containing the bar gene were found to be resistant compared with the negative control. Less than 1.07% of progeny seedlings tested cxpressed a herbicide positive reaction and polymerase chain reaction （PCR） with seedling DNA did detect the bar genc. Morphological variation was observed in six plants. We succeed in obtain PPT-resistant maize inbred lines via pollen tube pathway展开更多
Maize production in tropical Africa is often negatively affected by drought. The main objectives of the present study were to 1) analyze the impact of water stress on the agro-morphological performance of two varietie...Maize production in tropical Africa is often negatively affected by drought. The main objectives of the present study were to 1) analyze the impact of water stress on the agro-morphological performance of two varieties of Quality Protein Maize (QPM) compared to two normal maize varieties and 2) assess their adaptive response in contrasting water environments. Agro-morphological responses to water deficiency of maize (Zea mays L.) were assessed in controlled experiments using four maize varieties, two normal maize (Zm725 and Mus1) and two quality protein maize (Mudishi1 and Mudishi3) varieties. They were subjected to three water regimes (100%, 60%, 30% water retention capacity) at the beginning of the bloom stage, using a Fischer block design with four replications. Significant differences (p < 0.05) among varieties, water regimes and their interactions for plant growth and production parameters were observed. Reduction of water supply to plants caused changes in aerial and underground plant growth. Plant stem height, foliar expansion, and root system development characterizing vegetative growth showed variation in varietal response to water regimes. Mus1 (normal maize variety) was the best adapted to variations in water regimes because they developed an important root volume to adapt to the effects of water deficit while maintaining their morphological and productive characteristics.展开更多
Southern corn rust(SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora Underw and maize stalk rot caused by Pythium inflatum Matthews(MSR-2) are two destructive diseases of maize(Zea mays L.) in China.Our previous studies indicated that...Southern corn rust(SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora Underw and maize stalk rot caused by Pythium inflatum Matthews(MSR-2) are two destructive diseases of maize(Zea mays L.) in China.Our previous studies indicated that maize inbred line Qi319 is highly resistant to SCR but susceptible to MSR-2,while inbred line 1145 is highly resistant to MSR-2 but susceptible to SCR.The SCR resistant gene(RppQ) in Qi319 and MSR-2 resistant gene(Rpi1) in 1145 have been mapped on chromosome 10 and 4 respectively.In this research,through marker-assisted selection(MAS) with the molecular markers,bnlg1937 tightly linked to Rpi1 and phi041 tightly linked to RppQ,pyramid breeding of the two kinds of disease resistant genes were carried out from the year of 2003 to 2007.Two homozygotic inbred lines of F5 generation,DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 were identified.MAS result suggested DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 contained the two resistance genes RppQ and Rpi1.Field inoculation tests confirmed their high resistance to the two diseases.In addition,field investigation indicated that the two selected inbred lines,particularly DR94-1-1-1,had excellent agronomic traits such as plant height,ear height and yield-relating traits including ear length,ear diameter,ear weight,kernels per ear,kernels per row and kernel weight per ear.The two selected inbred lines DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 can either be directly developed into commercial variety or used as immediate donors of SCR and MSR resistance breeding programs in maize.展开更多
Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in the productivity of maize (<i>Zea</i> <i>mays</i> L). To investigate the fertilizer effects of N on the yield and growth of maize hybrid variety (Gorilla), th...Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in the productivity of maize (<i>Zea</i> <i>mays</i> L). To investigate the fertilizer effects of N on the yield and growth of maize hybrid variety (Gorilla), the experiment was carried out at the research farm of University of Swabi, Pakistan, during summer 2017-18. Four levels of N (Urea, Urea + Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Urea + Compost, Urea + Poultry Manure (PM)) were set in the present study. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used with split-plot arrangement with N administering to main plot. Results showed that yield and other traits, <i>i.e.</i> plant height, ear length, ear weight, kernel yield, kernels ear<sup>-1</sup> and harvest index (HI) were significantly affected by Nitrogen. In current study, the maximum performances of plant height (231.46 cm), ear length (12.17 cm), kernels ear<sup>-1</sup> (434.83), kernel yield (2095.7 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>), total kernel weight (350.75 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>), biomass yield (4015.3 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>) and HI (37.31) were recorded under the treatment of UREA + PM, and followed by UREA + FYM. Besides, the applications of organic manure in combination with nitrogen significantly increased yield and its components. Application of 50% of N and 50% of poultry manure produced higher performance for the traits of plant height, ear length, kernels ear<sup>-1</sup>, total kernels weight ear<sup>-1</sup>, kernel yield, and biomass yield.展开更多
文摘Maize is susceptible to a number of diseases that can infect all plant organs and serve as a constraint on cereal production. The reduction in cereal production caused by disease is estimated at an average of 9.4%. Corn root rot contributes greatly to the reduction in grain production and quality. The main objective of this work was to review the research on root rot in maize to determine the susceptibility of genotypes to root rot and to quantify the inheritance of resistance to root rot in maize. The methodology used was a complete 8 × 8 diallel design planted during the year 1999/2000. Root discoloration, plant length, root volume, effective volume and yield were the evaluated parameters. To analyze the data and determine the combinatorial abilities, genetic correlations, heritability and correlated response, diallel analysis was used. Eight parental lines;P28, I137TN, MP706, E739, MO17, B37, B73, and B14 were planted. The lines were crossed into each other, all combinations according to the complete diallel model (Model 1). The F1 was harvested after maturation. For statistical analysis, the version of the Agrobase program (2016) was used. Results show that F1 hybrids showed significant differences in root rot discoloration, plant height, root volume, effective root volume and yield. The P28 line and the B73XE739 cross had, respectively, the highest general and specific combinations. Root discoloration had the highest genetic correlation (r<sub>A</sub> = 0.47) with plant length. Broad and narrow heritability for root rot discoloration were, respectively, h<sup>2</sup> = 0.81 and h<sub>2</sub><sub> </sub>= 0.51. Root rot discoloration showed the highest correlated response (C<sub>R</sub> = 0.14) on plant length.
基金supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31171497)the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2011CB100105)+1 种基金the Corn Industry Technology System, Ministry of Agriculture, China (CARS-02)the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest, China (201203096, 201203100)
文摘As the most important organ in plant photosynthesis, the leaf plays an important role in plant growth and development. Leaf senescence is associated with fundamental changes in the proteome. To research the molecular mechanisms of leaf senescence, protein expression in senescing maize ear leaves grown under field conditions was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry（MALDI-TOF/TOF MS）. A total of 60 senescence-associated proteins were identified. The identified proteins are involved in many biological processes, especially energy, metabolism and protein synthesis. Several of the identified proteins have not been previously reported as senescence-associated, including glycine-rich RNA-binding protein.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (2008CDB079)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program,2006AA100103)
文摘Waterlogging strongly affects agronomic performance of maize （Zea mays L.）. In order to investigate the suitable selection criteria of waterflooding tolerant genotypes, and identify the most susceptible stage and the best continuous treatment time to waterlogging, 20 common maize inbred lines were subjected to successive artificial waterflooding at seedling stage, and waterlogging tolerance coefficient （WTC） was used to screen waterflooding tolerant genotypes. In addition, peroxidase （POD） activities and malondialdehyde （MDA） contents were measured for 6 of 20 lines. The results showed that the second leaf stage （V2） was the most susceptible stage, and 6 d after waterflooding was the best continuous treatment time. Dry weight （DW） of both shoots and roots of all lines were significantly reduced at 6 d time-point of waterlogging, compared to control. POD activities and MDA contents were negatively and significantly correlated, and the correlation coefficient was -0.9686 （P 〈 0.0001）. According to the results, WTC of shoot DW can be used for practical screening as a suitable index, which is significantly different from control and waterlogged plants happened 6 d earlier. Furthermore, leaf chlorosis, MDA content and POD activities could also be used as reference index for material screening. The implications of the results for waterlogging-tolerant material screening and waterlogging-tolerant breeding have been discussed in maize.
文摘Study on relative sensitivity of maize (Zea mays L.) Nongda108 and Nongda3138 to sulfony-lurea herbicide chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl using maize taproot length by sand bioassy indicated that, Nongda3138 had higher tolerance to chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl than Nongda108 did. Chlorsulfuron had stronger growth inhibition to maize Nongda108 and Nongda3138 than tribenuron-methyl did. Study on target enzyme of sulfonylurea herbicide acetolactate synthase (ALS) showed that, chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl inhibited ALS in vitro strongly, and non-competitively. In the same concentration of inhibitors, chlorsulfuron had stronger ALS activity inhibition than tribenuron-methyl did. Lower level of chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl has no ALS activity inhibition in vivo, the ALS inhibition only occurred in the condition of high concentration of chlorsulfuron and tribenuron-methyl in vivo.
文摘A field experiment was conducted during spring 2011 at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to evaluate the comparative efficacy of Zn uptake and grain yield in three maize hybrids namely Pioneer-32F 10, Monsanto-6525 and Hycorn-8288 through the application of Zn in the form of ZnSO4. The ZnSO4 treatments comprised;soil application at the time of sowing @ 12 kg·ha-1 (Zn1), foliar application at vegetative stage (9 leaf stage) @ 1% ZnSO4 solution (Zn2) and foliar application at reproductive stage (anthesis) @ 1% ZnSO4 solution (Zn3) and one treatment was kept as a control, where zinc was not applied (Zn0). The experimental results showed substantial difference in all physiological and yield parameters except plant height and stem diameter. Statistically maximum grain yield (8.76 t·ha-1) was obtained with foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage (Zn2) in case of Monsanto-6525. As regard to quality parameters, Pioneer-32F 10 and Hycorn-8288 accumulated more zinc contents in grains but Monsanto-6525 attained more zinc concentration in straw. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage produced 19.42% more zinc contents in grains as compared to other ZnSO4 treatments. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 9 leaf stage in Monsanto-6525 hybrid produced higher grain yield.
文摘A reliable system was developed for regeneration from mature embryos derived from callus of four maize inbred lines （Liao 7980, Dan 9818, Dan 340, and Dan 5026）. The protocol was mainly based on a series of experiments involving the composition of culture medium. We found that 9 pM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in MS medium was optimum for the induction of callus. The induction frequency of primary calli was over 85% for four inbred lines tested. The addition of L- proline （12 mM） in subculture medium significantly promoted the formation of embryogenic callus but it did not significantly enhance growth rate of callus. Efficient shoot regeneration was obtained on regeneration medium containing 2.22 μM 6- benzylaminopurine in combinations with 4.64 μM Kinetin. Regenerated shoots were rooted on half-strength MS medium containing 2.85 μM indole-3-butyric acid. This plant regeneration system provides a foundation for genetic transformation of maize.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31801367)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0101200)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
文摘Cell wall architecture plays a key role in stalk strength and forage digestibility.Lignin,cellulose,and hemicellulose are the three main components of plant cell walls,and they can impact stalk quality by affecting the structure and strength of the cell wall.To explore cell wall development during secondary cell wall lignification in maize stalks,conventional and conditional genetic mapping were used to identify the dynamic quantitative trait loci(QTLs)of the cell wall components and digestibility traits during five growth stages after silking.Acid detergent lignin(ADL),cellulose(CEL),acid detergent fiber(ADF),neutral detergent fiber(NDF),and in vitro dry matter digestibility(IVDMD)were evaluated in a maize recombinant inbred line(RIL)population.ADL,CEL,ADF,and NDF gradually increased from 10 to 40 days after silking(DAS),and then they decreased.IVDMD initially decreased until 40 DAS,and then it increased slightly.Seventytwo QTLs were identified for the five traits,and each accounted for 3.48–24.04%of the phenotypic variation.Six QTL hotspots were found,and they were localized in the 1.08,2.04,2.07,7.03,8.05,and 9.03 bins of the maize genome.Within the interval of the pleiotropic QTL identified in bin 1.08 of the maize genome,six genes associated with cell wall component biosynthesis were identified as potential candidate genes for stalk strength as well as cell wall-related traits.In addition,26 conditional QTLs were detected in the five stages for all of the investigated traits.Twenty-two of the 26 conditional QTLs were found at 30 DAS conditioned using the values of 20 DAS,and at 50 DAS conditioned using the values of 40 DAS.These results indicated that cell wall-related traits are regulated by many genes,which are specifically expressed at different stages after silking.Simultaneous improvements in both forage digestibility and lodging resistance could be achieved by pyramiding multiple beneficial QTL alleles identified in this study.
文摘Improvement in seed vigor under adverse condition is an important object in maize breeding nowadays. Because the higher sowing quality of seeds is necessary for the development of the agriculture production and better able to resist all kinds of adversity in the seeds storage. So it is helpful for long-term preservation of germplasm resource. In our study, two connected recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations, which derived from the crosses Yu82 × Shen137 and Yu537A × Shen137 respectively, were evaluated for four related traits of seed vigor under three aging treatments. Meta-analysis was used to integrate genetic maps and detected QTL across two populations. In total, 74 QTL and 20 meta-QTL (mQTL) were detected. All QTLs with contributions (R2) over 10% were consistently detected in at least one of aging treatments and integrated in mQTL. Four key mQTLs (mQTL2-2, mQTL5-3, mQTL6 and mQTL8) with R2 of some initial QTLs > 10% included 5-9 initial QTLs associated with 2-4 traits. Therefore, the chromosome regions for four mQTLs with high QTL co-localization might be hot spots of the important QTLs for the associated traits. Twenty-two key candidate genes regulating four related traits of seed vigor mapped in 14 corresponding mQTLs. In particular, At5g67360, 45238345/At1g70730/At1g09640 and 298201206 were mapped within the important mQTL5-3, mQTL6 and mQTL8 regions, respectively. Fine mapping or construction of single chromosome segment lines for genetic regions of the three mQTLs is worth further study and could be put to use molecular marker-assisted breeding and pyramiding QTLs in maize.
文摘Drought, like many other environmental stresses, has adverse effects on crop yield including maize (Zea mays L.). Low water availability is one of the major causes for maize yield reductions affecting the majority of the farmed regions around the world. Therefore, the development of drought-tolerant lines becomes increasingly more important. In maize, a major effect of water stress is a delay in silking, resulting in an increase in the anthesis-silking interval, which is an important cause of yield failures. Diverse strategies are used by breeding programs to improve drought tolerance. Conventional breeding has improved the drought tolerance of temperate maize hybrids and the use of managed drought environments, accurate phenotyping, and the identification and deployment of secondary traits has been effective in improving the drought tolerance of tropical maize populations and hybrids as well. The contribution of molecular biology will be potential to identify key genes involved in metabolic pathways related to the stress response. Functional genomics, reverse and forward genetics, and comparative genomics are all being deployed with a view to achieving these goals. However, a multidisciplinary approach, which ties together breeding, physiology and molecular genetics, can bring a synergistic understanding to the response of maize to water deficit and improve the breeding efficiency.
文摘While being one of the world's most important crops,maize ( Zea mays L.) is still difficult to regenerate in tissue culture which severely limits its improvement by genetic engineering.Currently,immature zygotic embryos provide the predominantly used material for regeneration and transformation.However,the procedures involved are often laborious,time-consuming and season-dependent.Here,we further improved an efficient tissue culture and plant regeneration system that uses maize leaf segments of young seedlings as an alternative explant source.Embryogenic calli were evaluated by morphology,proliferation and regeneration capacity.All these indicated that seedling-derived leaf materials have the potential to replace immature embryos for tissue culture and regeneration.
文摘common maize synthetic rate（ Photosynthetic characteristics were probed by sweet maize, waxy maize, high starch maize and The results revealed that leaf area index （LAI）, chlorophyll a content, chlorophyll b content,photo-PR） showed single peak curve at the whole growth stage. The stages of peak were different according to different varieties. NEAUS4 had the lowest peak and while SIDAN 19 had the highest among all stages. Ratio of chlorophyll a to b was low at seedling stage, reached the peak atjointing stage and then declined. SIDAN 19 had the lower level at the last stages.
文摘Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait that suppresses the production of viable pollen. CMS is a useful biological tool for confinement strategies to facilitate coexistence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops in case where it is required. The trait is reversible and can be restored to fertility in the presence of nuclear restorer genes (Rf genes) and by environmental impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the level of irrigation on the stability of CMS maize hybrids under defined greenhouse conditions. Additionally the combination of irrigation and air temperature was studied. Three CMS maize hybrids were grown with different levels of irrigation and in different temperature regimes. Tassel characteristics, pollen production and fertility were assessed. The CMS stability was high in hot air temperatures and decreased in lower temperatures. The level of irrigation had no major effect on the level of sterility. The extent of these phenomena was depending on the genotype of CMS maize and should be known before using CMS for coexistence purposes.
文摘Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with extremely low ear height and B73. Through the SNP-based genotyping and phenotypic characterization, 13 QTL distributed on the chromosomes (Chrs) of Chr1, Chr2, Chr5-Chr8 were detected for four traits of internode no. above ear (INa), average internode length above ear (ILaa), internode no. below ear (INb), and average internode length below ear (ILab). Phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by a single QTL ranged from 6.82% (qILab2-2) to 12.99% (qILaa5). Zm00001d016823 within the physical region of qILaa5, the major QTL for ILaa with the largest PVE was determined as the candidate through the genomic annotation and sequence alignment between EHel and B73. Product of Zm00001d016823 was annotated as a WEB family protein homogenous to At1g75720. qRT-PCR assay showed that Zm00001d016823 highly expressed within the tissue of internode, exhibiting statistically higher expression levels among internodes of IN4 to IN7 in EHel than those in B73 (P Zm00001d016823 might provide novel insight into molecular mechanism beyond phytohormones controlling internode development in maize.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(39870525).
文摘Two hybrids of maize with different responses to sulfur were used in the pool experiment. The effects of nitrogen and sulfur on the grain quality of maize were evaluated. The results indicated that grain quality changed with the nutrition supply. The contents of proteins, amino acids, soluble sugar, crude fat, oil, N, P, K, S and microelements in the grain were improved due to nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer addition. But the effects of nitrogen and sulfur were not the same. Nitrogen increased starch content of the grain, but S decreased the content. Both N and S enhanced the proportion of amylopectin in starch. Sulfur nutrition significantly improved the grain quality of maize when a large amount of nitrogen was used together. Both hybrids had similar response to N and S treatments.
基金supported by the National High-technology Project of China (2006AA100103)the Key Project of Henan Province of China (0620010200)
文摘Low energy ion beam implantation was applied to the maize （Zea mays L） embryo proteome using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein profile analysis detected more than Ii00 protein spots, 72 of which were determined to be expressed differently in the treated and control （not exposed to ion beam implantation） embryos. Of the 72 protein spots, 53 were up- regulated in the control and 19 were more abundantly expressed in the ion beam-treated embryos. The spots of up- or down-regulated proteins were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）. Among the identified proteins, ii were up-regulated in the treated embryos. Four of these up-regulated proteins were antioxidant molecules, three were related to stress response, two to sugar metabolism and two were associated with heat shock response. Of the five proteins up-regulated in the control embryos, three were functionally related to carbohydrate metabolism; the functions of the remaining two proteins were unknown. The data collected during this study indicate that treatment of maize embryos with low energy ion beam implantation induces changes in stress tolerance enzymes/proteins, possibly as a result of alterations in metabolism.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31271658)National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0300306)
文摘Ear morphological traits such as volume and shape are important features of maize and the quantitative associations among them can help understand kernel yield determination. 150 mature ears each of 4 maize cultivars were collected from field experiments, and ear length(L), diameter(D), area(S) and volume(V) were recorded for individual ears, kernel weight per ear also recorded for a portion of the examined ears. Following principles of dimensional analysis, 8 theoretical equations of 3 sets,which relate ear higher dimensions to its length and diameter, were developed and parameterized and validated with the field observations. The 3 optimized equations showed that the shape of ears in maize can be featured with 3 dimensionless form factors, namely diameter-to-length ratio(c=D/L), areal form factor(b=S/L/D), and volumetric form factor(a=V/L/D/D). Statistically,all of them were significantly different among cultivars, and a's values varied from 0.582 to 0.612, and b's 0.839-0.868, and c's 0.242-0.308. Volumetric form factor and areal form factor could estimate precisely ear volume and area respectively, but diameter-to-length ratio was not suitable to estimate ear diameter by its length. Ear volume explained almost all variation of ear kernel weight and product L*D*D did the same substantially. Dimensional analysis proved to be promising in understanding relationship among morphological traits of ears in maize. Its application in crop researches should improve our knowledge of the physical properties of crop plants.
文摘The pollen tube pathway method of transformation has been reported to be successful in most crops, but less successfu in maizc. DNA can be transferred by cutting the stigma following pollination and applying the DNA solution in a suitable period DNA presumably reaches the ovary by flowing down the pollen tube and then integrates into the just fertilized but undivided zygotic cells. To provide the molecular evidence for this procedure, the plasmids pGBIRC carrying a CaMV35S promoter-PPT acetyle transferase （bar） gene-nos terminator genc fusion construct were used. Total 3 276 seeds were produced from the ears trcated with DNA. It was found that 35 scedlings were GUS assay positive, but less intense than that of the positive controls, of which 17 were PCR amplification positive. But, only 13 of the seeds from the plants treated with DNA containing the bar gene were found to be resistant compared with the negative control. Less than 1.07% of progeny seedlings tested cxpressed a herbicide positive reaction and polymerase chain reaction （PCR） with seedling DNA did detect the bar genc. Morphological variation was observed in six plants. We succeed in obtain PPT-resistant maize inbred lines via pollen tube pathway
文摘Maize production in tropical Africa is often negatively affected by drought. The main objectives of the present study were to 1) analyze the impact of water stress on the agro-morphological performance of two varieties of Quality Protein Maize (QPM) compared to two normal maize varieties and 2) assess their adaptive response in contrasting water environments. Agro-morphological responses to water deficiency of maize (Zea mays L.) were assessed in controlled experiments using four maize varieties, two normal maize (Zm725 and Mus1) and two quality protein maize (Mudishi1 and Mudishi3) varieties. They were subjected to three water regimes (100%, 60%, 30% water retention capacity) at the beginning of the bloom stage, using a Fischer block design with four replications. Significant differences (p < 0.05) among varieties, water regimes and their interactions for plant growth and production parameters were observed. Reduction of water supply to plants caused changes in aerial and underground plant growth. Plant stem height, foliar expansion, and root system development characterizing vegetative growth showed variation in varietal response to water regimes. Mus1 (normal maize variety) was the best adapted to variations in water regimes because they developed an important root volume to adapt to the effects of water deficit while maintaining their morphological and productive characteristics.
文摘Southern corn rust(SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora Underw and maize stalk rot caused by Pythium inflatum Matthews(MSR-2) are two destructive diseases of maize(Zea mays L.) in China.Our previous studies indicated that maize inbred line Qi319 is highly resistant to SCR but susceptible to MSR-2,while inbred line 1145 is highly resistant to MSR-2 but susceptible to SCR.The SCR resistant gene(RppQ) in Qi319 and MSR-2 resistant gene(Rpi1) in 1145 have been mapped on chromosome 10 and 4 respectively.In this research,through marker-assisted selection(MAS) with the molecular markers,bnlg1937 tightly linked to Rpi1 and phi041 tightly linked to RppQ,pyramid breeding of the two kinds of disease resistant genes were carried out from the year of 2003 to 2007.Two homozygotic inbred lines of F5 generation,DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 were identified.MAS result suggested DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 contained the two resistance genes RppQ and Rpi1.Field inoculation tests confirmed their high resistance to the two diseases.In addition,field investigation indicated that the two selected inbred lines,particularly DR94-1-1-1,had excellent agronomic traits such as plant height,ear height and yield-relating traits including ear length,ear diameter,ear weight,kernels per ear,kernels per row and kernel weight per ear.The two selected inbred lines DR94-1-1-1 and DR36-1-1-1 can either be directly developed into commercial variety or used as immediate donors of SCR and MSR resistance breeding programs in maize.
文摘Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in the productivity of maize (<i>Zea</i> <i>mays</i> L). To investigate the fertilizer effects of N on the yield and growth of maize hybrid variety (Gorilla), the experiment was carried out at the research farm of University of Swabi, Pakistan, during summer 2017-18. Four levels of N (Urea, Urea + Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Urea + Compost, Urea + Poultry Manure (PM)) were set in the present study. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used with split-plot arrangement with N administering to main plot. Results showed that yield and other traits, <i>i.e.</i> plant height, ear length, ear weight, kernel yield, kernels ear<sup>-1</sup> and harvest index (HI) were significantly affected by Nitrogen. In current study, the maximum performances of plant height (231.46 cm), ear length (12.17 cm), kernels ear<sup>-1</sup> (434.83), kernel yield (2095.7 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>), total kernel weight (350.75 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>), biomass yield (4015.3 kg·ha<sup>-1</sup>) and HI (37.31) were recorded under the treatment of UREA + PM, and followed by UREA + FYM. Besides, the applications of organic manure in combination with nitrogen significantly increased yield and its components. Application of 50% of N and 50% of poultry manure produced higher performance for the traits of plant height, ear length, kernels ear<sup>-1</sup>, total kernels weight ear<sup>-1</sup>, kernel yield, and biomass yield.
