Mingzhao Han¹, Susilawati Kasim^1,*, Zhongming Yang², Xi Deng², Md Kamal Uddin¹, Noor Baity Saidi³, Effyanti Mohd Shuib¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.2, pp. 213-226, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.047150

Abstract Drought stress is a major factor affecting plant growth and crop yield production. Plant extracts as natural biostimulants hold great potential to strengthen plants to overcome drought impacts. To explore the effect of Polygonum minus extract (PME) in enhancing drought tolerance in plants, a study was set up in a glasshouse environment using 10 different treatment combinations. PME foliar application were designed in CRD and effects were closely observed related to the growth, physiology, and antioxidant system changes in maize (Zea mays L.) under well-watered and drought conditions. The seaweed extract (SWE) was used as a comparison. Plants subjected to… More >

Yongjing Xi, Zhou Yang, Yukun Jin, Jing Qu, Shuyan Guan, Siyan Liu, Piwu Wang^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.4, pp. 1257-1274, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.025918

Abstract PCR detection, quantitative real-time PCR (q-RTPCR), outdoor insect resistance, and disease resistance identification were carried out for the detection of genetic stability and disease resistance through generations (T₂, T₃, and T₄) in transgenic maize germplasms (S3002 and 349) containing the bivalent genes (insect resistance gene Cry1Ab13-1 and disease resistance gene NPR1) and their corresponding wild type. Results indicated that the target genes Cry1Ab13-1 and NPR1 were successfully transferred into both germplasms through tested generations; q-PCR confirmed the expression of Cry1Ab13-1 and NPR1 genes in roots, stems, and leaves of tested maize plants. In addition, S3002 and 349 bivalent gene-transformed lines… More >

Xiaojie Jing^1,2,3,#, Chunyan Li^1,2,3,#, Chengjuan Luo^1,2,3, Chaonan Yao^1,2,3, Jiahao Zhang^1,2,3, Tingting Zhu^1,2,3, Jiuguang Wang^1,2,3, Chaoxian Liu^1,2,3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.3, pp. 707-723, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.024338

Abstract The zinc finger homeodomain (ZF-HD) genes belong to the homeobox gene family, playing critical roles in flower development and stress response. Despite their importance, however, to date there has been no genome-wide identification and characterization of the ZF-HD genes that are probably involved in stress responses in maize. In this study, 24 ZF-HD genes were identified, and their chromosomal locations, protein properties, duplication patterns, structures, conserved motifs and expression patterns were investigated. The results revealed that the ZF-HD genes are unevenly distributed on nine chromosomes and that most of these genes lack introns. Six and two ZF-HD genes have undergone… More >

M. Ashraf Ahangar¹, Shabir Hussain Wani^1,*, Zahoor A. Dar², Jan Roohi¹, Fayaz Mohiddin¹, Monika Bansal³, Mukesh Choudhary⁴, Sumit K. Aggarwal⁴, S. A. Waza¹, Khursheed Ahmad Dar⁵, Ayman El Sabagh^6,7, Celaleddin Barutcular⁸, Omer Konuşkan⁹, Mohammad Anwar Hossain^10,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.10, pp. 2111-2133, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.020721

Abstract Maize is cultivated extensively throughout the world and has the highest production among cereals. However, Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) disease caused by Exherohilum turcicum, is the most devastating limiting factor of maize production. The disease causes immense losses to corn yield if it develops prior or during the tasseling and silking stages of crop development. It has a worldwide distribution and its development is favoured by cool to moderate temperatures with high relative humidity. The prevalence of the disease has increased in recent years and new races of the pathogen have been reported worldwide. The fungus E. turcicum is… More >

Lingyan Hu, Haiyan Chen, Guangqun Zhang, Zihao Yu, Kai Yan, Fangdong Zhan, Yongmei He^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.9, pp. 1933-1944, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.020041

Abstract Indoleacetic acid (IAA) is an important regulator that plays a crucial role in plant growth and responses to abiotic stresses. In the present study, a sand cultivation experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of IAA at different concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2.5 mmol/L) on maize growth, root morphology, mineral elements (Ca, Mg) and Cd uptake under 20 mg/kg Cd stress. The results showed that 0.01 mmol/L is the optimal IAA concentration for enhancing the Cd tolerance of maize. Compared with the control treatment, 0.01 mmol/L IAA promoted maize growth, with significant increases in the height,… More >

Xiaotong Wei^1,#, Xuhong Fan^2,#, Xuan Lu¹, Liyuan Han¹, Honglin Zhang³, Siyan Liu³, Jing Qu³, Shuyan Guan^3,*, Yiyong Ma^3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.9, pp. 1945-1957, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.020062

Abstract

The embryos of maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines GS02, GS07, GS08, GS11 and GS15 were used as receptor materials to optimize the receptor system from the aspects of genotype, medium components and stress (PEG6000, mannitol, salt and low phosphorus). The results showed that GS07 had the highest induction rate (95.2%). Orthogonal test analysis showed that the best combination of medium components in induction was A₂B₃C₁D₃₍₂₎, namely, the concentration of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) was 4 mg·mL^-1, the concentration of L-Proline (L-Pro) was 0.8 mg·mL^-1, and the concentration of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) was 10 mg·mL^-1 (or 5 mg·mL). Interestingly,… More >

Jing Qu¹, Shuang Liu², Peng Jiao², Zhenzhong Jiang², Jianbo Fei², Shuyan Guan^1,*, Yiyong Ma^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.8, pp. 1709-1719, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.018854

Abstract To develop cold-tolerant maize germplasms and identify the activation of INDUCER OF CRT/DRE-BINDING FACTOR EXPRESSION (ICE1) expression in response to cold stress, RT-PCR was used to amplify the complete open reading frame sequence of the ICE1 gene and construct the plant expression vector pCAMBIA3301-ICE1-Bar. Immature maize embryos and calli were transformed with the recombinant vector using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformations. From the regenerated plantlets, three T1 lines were screened and identified by PCR. A Southern blot analysis showed that a single copy of the ICE1 gene was integrated into the maize (Zea mays L.) genomes of the three T1 generations. Under… More >

Hameed Gul¹, Mengya Qian¹, Mohammad G. Arabzai^1,2, Tianhui Huang¹, Qiannan Ma¹, Fangyu Xing¹, Wan Cao¹, Tingting Liu¹, Hong Duan¹, Qianlin Xiao^1,*, Zhizhai Liu^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.7, pp. 1429-1443, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.019842

Abstract Kernel size-related traits, including kernel length, kernel width, and kernel thickness, are critical components in determining yield and kernel quality in maize (Zea mays L.). Dissecting the phenotypic characteristics of these traits, and discovering the candidate chromosomal regions for these traits, are of potential importance for maize yield and quality improvement. In this study, a total of 139 F2:3 family lines derived from EHel and B73, a distinct line with extremely low ear height (EHel), was used for phenotyping and QTL mapping of three kernel size-related traits, including 10-kernel length (KL), 10-kernel width (KWid), and 10-kernel thickness (KT). The results… More >

Jianyu Lu¹, Qingping Jiang¹, Tongyu Liu¹, Yangyang Zhou¹, Mengtong Liu¹, Jing Qu², Yiyong Ma^2,*, Shuyan Guan^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.6, pp. 1199-1209, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.019298

Abstract Maize flowering is an important agronomic character, which is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL). Over the years, a large number of flowering-related QTL have been found in maize and exist in public databases. However, combining these data, re-analyzing and mining candidate loci and fine mapping of flowering-related traits to reduce confidence intervals has become a hot issue in maize. In this study, the QTL of 6 important agronomic traits of maize flowering were collected from 15 published articles, including flowering period (DA), Days to tasseling (DTT), Days to silking (DS), Days to pollen shedding (DTP), anthesis-silking interval (ASI) and… More >

J. David García-Ortíz¹, Rebeca González-Centeno¹, María Alejandra Torres-Tapia², J. A. Ascacio-Valdés¹, José Espinoza-Velázquez², Raúl Rodríguez-Herrera^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.5, pp. 929-941, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.018368

Abstract Because of the growing worldwide demand for maize grain, new alternatives have been sought for breeding of this cereal, e.g., development of polyembryonic varieties, which agronomic performance could positively impact the grain yield per unit area, and nutritional quality. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the phytochemicals present in the embryo and endosperm of grain from maize families with high, low, and null polyembryony frequency, which were planted at different locations, and (2) state the relationship between these compounds and seed germination. The extracted phytochemicals from corn were identified by HPLC-MS. The results showed that the genotype… More >