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Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments
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Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 9751

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ivica G. Djalović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Maxim Gorki 30, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: maize cultivation practices
Dr. David Caparros-Ruiz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB), Campus UAB, CRAG Building, Cerdanyola, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: maize; grasses; plant cell walls; type-II cell wall; cell wall polysaccharides; lignin biosynthesis; lignin regulation; abiotic stresses; biochemical, molecular and -omic approaches

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important food, nutrition, and climate security crop around the world. Global climate fluctuations bring a range of abiotic stresses that interfere with maize growth and development, leading to crop yield losses. Additionally, several environmental and edaphic factors such as the rising mean temperature, regional and extreme heat waves, drought spells, expanding soil acidity and salinity, nutrient imbalance, and accumulation of toxic heavy metals in soil are associated with climate change. Numerous climate modelling studies have suggested that heat stress events will be more frequent in a future environment, which may signify a major constraint to crop productivity and global food security. Recent advances in genomics and data analysis provide opportunities to unlock the genetic potential of maize, leading to new cultivars that are disease-resistant, drought-proof and more nutritious.

The Special Issue of Plants, entitled “Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments”, provides a unique opportunity to publish the most recent research findings: from integrated genomics to cropping systems related to key aspects for genetic, genomic, agronomic and other omics trait-related improvements, and the breeding of maize and their efficient cultivation management strategies. With the advent of new omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, the efficiency and efficacy of unearthing information on pathways associated with abiotic stress resilience have improved in maize. Identifying the contributions of climate factors and cropping systems to maize yield is significant for the assessment of climate change impacts on maize production.

Much remains to be discovered in this field; thus, it is of the utmost importance to contribute your scientific findings to accelerate the breeding, agronomic performance, and sustainability of maize production to worldwide.

We welcome all article types related, but not limited, to the following topics:

  • Integration of novel breeding tools, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic selection (GS) and double haploid (DH) technology to fast-track the stress-resilience breeding pipeline;
  • Developing stress-resilient maize by integrating novel tools in mainstream breeding;
  • Developments of multi-omics and breeding strategies for abiotic stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays);
  • The role of crop management practices and adaptation options to minimize the impact of climate change on maize (Zea mays);
  • Nutrient balance in maize cropping systems and challenges for their sustainability;
  • Maize nutrition under climate change: biofortified maize strengthen food systems and mitigate climate change losses;
  • New high-yielding, stress-resilient and nutritious maize varieties;
  • Deployment of improved climate-resilient maize varieties in the semiarid conditions;
  • Availability and absorption of soil water in a high water table areas by maize;
  • Partitioning of nitrogen in different organs of maize;
  • Avoidance of excess use of fertilizers in order to improve plants, the soil and the environment;
  • Yield gap analysis: an experimental assessment related to the production of maize.

Dr. Ivica G. Djalović
Dr. David Caparros-Ruiz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maize
  • climate change
  • abiotic stress
  • novel breeding tools
  • genomic selection
  • genomics
  • transcriptomics
  • proteomics
  • metabolomics
  • double haploid (DH) technology
  • cropping systems
  • crop management
  • nutrient balance
  • soil water
  • nitrogen
  • biofortification
  • high-yielding
  • yield gap
  • climate-vulnerable environments

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3925 KiB  
Article
Influence of Changing Weather on Old and New Maize Hybrids: A Case Study in Romania
by Roxana Elena Călugăr, Andrei Varga, Carmen Daniela Vana, Loredana Ancuța Ceclan, Ionuț Racz, Felicia Chețan, Alina Șimon, Călin Popa, Nicolae Tritean, Florin Russu, Alexandru Bogdan Ghețe and Leon Muntean
Plants 2024, 13(23), 3322; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233322 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 512
Abstract
Maize is affected by drought and heat, abiotic stress factors that have been encountered more often in recent years in various parts of Europe. In the area of Turda, Romania, extreme temperatures and heat waves combined with an uneven distribution of precipitation have [...] Read more.
Maize is affected by drought and heat, abiotic stress factors that have been encountered more often in recent years in various parts of Europe. In the area of Turda, Romania, extreme temperatures and heat waves combined with an uneven distribution of precipitation have been recorded that had an unfavorable influence on the maize crop. In this study, the ASI (anthesis-to-silking interval), yield, and stability of 35 old and new maize hybrids created at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda were studied under drought and heat conditions. An increase in temperature was observed during vegetative growth and grain filling, and rainfall was deficient during and after flowering. These conditions had a negative influence on ASI, grain filling, and, indirectly, yield, which varied significantly during the seven experimental years. The five newest hybrids (Turda335, Turda2020, Turda380, Sur18/399, and HST148) stood out, with average yields of over 8400 kg ha−1 in unfavorable years and over 15–16,000 kg ha−1 under favorable conditions. They generally outperformed the mean by 29–33%. In contrast, the old hybrids achieved yields up to 22% lower than the experimental mean. Yield was 43.1% lower in 2022 and 31.8% lower in 2023 compared to the best year (2021). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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12 pages, 2617 KiB  
Article
ZmLSD1 Enhances Salt Tolerance by Regulating the Expression of ZmWRKY29 in Maize
by Qiaolu Li, Rongrong Hu, Min Jiang, Wei Zhang, Xinyi Gao, Binglin Zhang, Weijuan Liu, Zhongyi Wu and Huawen Zou
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2904; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202904 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 607
Abstract
Salt stress significantly impairs plant growth, presenting a challenge to agricultural productivity. Exploring the regulatory mechanisms underlying salt stress responses is critically important. Here, we identified a significant role for the maize LESION-SIMULATING DISEASE transcription factor, ZmLSD1, in enhancing salt stress response. Subcellular [...] Read more.
Salt stress significantly impairs plant growth, presenting a challenge to agricultural productivity. Exploring the regulatory mechanisms underlying salt stress responses is critically important. Here, we identified a significant role for the maize LESION-SIMULATING DISEASE transcription factor, ZmLSD1, in enhancing salt stress response. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that ZmLSD1-GFP was localized in the nucleus in the maize protoplast. Overexpressing ZmLSD1 in maize obviously enhanced the tolerance of plants to salt stress. Physiological analysis indicated that overexpressed ZmLSD1 in maize could mitigate the accumulation of H2O2 and MDA content exposed to salt stress. RNA-seq and qPCR-PCR analyses showed that ZmLSD1 positively regulated ZmWRKY29 expression. ChIP-qPCR and EMSA experiments demonstrated that ZmLSD1 could directly bind to the promoter of ZmWRKY29 through the GTAC motif both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our findings suggest that ZmLSD1 plays a positive role in enhancing the tolerance of maize to salt by affecting ZmWRKY29 expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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16 pages, 3289 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Fertilization and Cultivar Interactions Determine Maize Yield and Grain Mineral Composition in Calcareous Soil under Semiarid Conditions
by Ivica Djalovic, P. V. Vara Prasad, Kashif Akhtar, Aleksandar Paunović, Muhammad Riaz, Marijana Dugalic, Snežana Katanski and Sajjad Zaheer
Plants 2024, 13(6), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060844 - 14 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1144
Abstract
Identifying the contributions of climate factors and fertilization to maize yield is significant for the assessment of climate change impacts on maize production under semiarid conditions. This experiment was conducted with an overall objective to find how N fertilization and cultivar interactions along [...] Read more.
Identifying the contributions of climate factors and fertilization to maize yield is significant for the assessment of climate change impacts on maize production under semiarid conditions. This experiment was conducted with an overall objective to find how N fertilization and cultivar interactions along with climatic conditions determine the mineral composition and maize yield responses of four divergent maize cultivars grown under eight different fertilization levels. The results showed that element contents were significantly affected by year (Y), cultivar (C), N fertilization, and N × C interaction. The element contents of grains were mainly influenced by N rate or N × C interactions. The results showed that maize yield was significantly affected by year (Y), genotype (G), N fertilization (N), and Y × G × N interaction. These results implied that the maize yield was significantly affected by changes in genotypes and environments. Overall, our findings are a result of the interactions of genetic, environmental, and agronomic management factors. Future studies could evaluate more extreme plant densities, N fertilizer levels, and environments to further enhance our understanding of management effects on the mineral composition and maize yield in calcareous soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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15 pages, 1317 KiB  
Article
Nutritional and Chemical Quality of Maize Hybrids from Different FAO Maturity Groups Developed and Grown in Serbia
by Ivica Djalovic, Nada Grahovac, Zorica Stojanović, Ana Đurović, Dragan Živančev, Snežana Jakšić, Simona Jaćimović, Caihuan Tian and P. V. Vara Prasad
Plants 2024, 13(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010143 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1920
Abstract
Maize is a globally significant cereal crop, contributing to the production of essential food products and serving as a pivotal resource for diverse industrial applications. This study investigated the proximate analysis of maize hybrids from different FAO maturity groups in Serbia, exploring variations [...] Read more.
Maize is a globally significant cereal crop, contributing to the production of essential food products and serving as a pivotal resource for diverse industrial applications. This study investigated the proximate analysis of maize hybrids from different FAO maturity groups in Serbia, exploring variations in polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and fatty acids with the aim of understanding how agroecological conditions influence the nutritional potential of maize hybrids. The results indicate substantial variations in nutritional composition and antioxidant properties among different maturity groups. The levels of total polyphenols varied among FAO groups, indicating that specific hybrids may offer greater health benefits. Flavonoids and carotenoids also showed considerable variation, with implications for nutritional quality. Tocopherol content varied significantly, emphasizing the diversity in antioxidant capacity. Fatty acid analysis revealed high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, indicating favorable nutritional and industrial properties. The study highlights the importance of considering maturity groups in assessing the nutritional potential of maize hybrids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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36 pages, 6911 KiB  
Article
Potentiality of Sustainable Maize Production under Rainfed Conditions in the Tropics by Triggering Agro-Physio-Biochemical Traits Ascertained from a Greenhouse
by Md. Samim Hossain Molla, Orawan Kumdee, Arunee Wongkaew, Phanuphong Khongchiu, Nattaporn Worathongchai, Md. Robiul Alam, Abdullah-Al Mahmud and Sutkhet Nakasathien
Plants 2023, 12(24), 4192; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244192 - 18 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2139
Abstract
A major portion of maize is produced under rainfed conditions in the tropics with relatively poor yield because of the unpredictable and irregular distribution of seasonal rainfall, as well as a decline in pre-rainy season rainfall due to climate change, so identification of [...] Read more.
A major portion of maize is produced under rainfed conditions in the tropics with relatively poor yield because of the unpredictable and irregular distribution of seasonal rainfall, as well as a decline in pre-rainy season rainfall due to climate change, so identification of sustainable production options is utmost needed. Thus, the present studies were conducted in a greenhouse (GH) to ascertain the water stress-tolerant traits of maize and at the field level in the tropical environment of Thailand to see the stimulating possibility of the ascertained traits in a locally popular cultivar using ethephon. Depending on tolerance level, three maize genotypes (Suwan 2301 > Suwan 4452 > S 7328) were tested under different water conditions—well-watered, short-term, and long-term water stress—in the GH. At the field level, the locally popular maize cultivar Suwan 5819 was examined with six ethephon levels (doses in g a.i. ha−1 of ethephon, i.e., T1, 281 at V6 stage; T2, 281 at V6 + 281 at V10 stage; T3, 281 at V10 stage; T4, 562 at V6 stage; T5, 562 at V6 + 562 at V10 stage; T6, 562 at V10 stage) against no ethephon application (T0) under rainfed conditions. Maize suffered from the scarcity of sufficient rainfall during 26–39 days after planting (DAP) and 43–63 DAP in the field. The yield index (YI) was identified from biplot analysis as one of the suitable standards for drought tolerance checks for maize at GH as well as at field level in the tropics. The YI value of observed agro-physio-biochemical traits of maize in GH showed that relative water content (RWC, 1.23), stem base diameter (SBD, 1.21), total soluble sugar (TSS, 1.15), proline (Pr, 1.13), aboveground plant biomass (APB, 1.13), root weight (RW, 1.13), relative growth rate (RGR, 1.15), specific leaf weight (SLW, 1.12), and net assimilation rate (NAR, 1.08) were the most desirable. Efforts were made to stimulate these traits under water stress at the field level. Ethephon application as T1 helped to gain higher kernel yield (KY) (5.26 t ha−1) with the support of higher RWC (90.38%), proline (24.79 µmol g−1 FW), TSS (1629 mg g−1 FW), SBD (24.49 mm), APB (271.34 g plant−1), SLW (51.71 g m−2), RGR (25.26 mg plant−1 day−1), and NAR (0.91 mg cm−2 day−1) compared to others, especially no ethephon application. Furthermore, the attributes SLW, SBD, Pr, heat utilization efficiency (HUE), 100-kernel weight, TSS, electrolyte leakage, and lodging percentage showed a substantial direct effect and significant correlation with KY. Aside from higher KY, ethephon application as T1 tactics resulted in higher values of energy efficiency (1.66), HUE (2.99 kg ha−1 °C days−1), gross margin (682.02 USD ha−1), MBCR (3.32), and C absorption (6.19 t C ha−1), indicating that this practice may be a good option for maize sustainable production under rainfed conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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19 pages, 4319 KiB  
Article
Combining Straw Mulch with Nitrogen Fertilizer Improves Soil and Plant Physio-Chemical Attributes, Physiology, and Yield of Maize in the Semi-Arid Region of China
by Kashif Akhtar, Weiyu Wang, Ivica Djalovic, P. V. Vara Prasad, Guangxin Ren, Noor ul Ain, Muhammad Riaz, Yongzhong Feng, Gaihe Yang and Ronghui Wen
Plants 2023, 12(18), 3308; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12183308 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1462
Abstract
Mulching and nitrogen (N) fertilization are the main drivers for sustainable crop production. The sole use of nitrogen fertilizer threatened both the physiology and production of maize in rain-fed areas. Therefore, we proposed that wheat straw mulching with N fertilization would increase maize [...] Read more.
Mulching and nitrogen (N) fertilization are the main drivers for sustainable crop production. The sole use of nitrogen fertilizer threatened both the physiology and production of maize in rain-fed areas. Therefore, we proposed that wheat straw mulching with N fertilization would increase maize yield by improving soil fertility, physiology, and nitrogen use efficiency. A two-year field study evaluated the effects of CK (control), N (nitrogen application at 172 kg ha−1), HS (half wheat straw mulch, 2500 kg ha−1), HS+N (half wheat straw, 2500 kg ha−1 plus 172 kg N ha−1), FS (full wheat straw, 5000 kg ha−1), and FS+N (full wheat straw, 5000 kg ha−1 plus 172 kg N ha−1) on maize growth, physiology, and biochemistry. Compared with the control, the FS+N treatment resulted in the increase of 56% photosynthetic efficiency, 9.6% nitrogen use efficiency, 60% nitrogen uptake, 80% soluble sugar, 59% starches, 48% biomass, and 29% grain yield of maize. In addition, the FS+N regime increased 47%, 42%, and 106% of soil organic carbon and available P and N content in comparison with the control. Maize grain and biomass yields were positively correlated with N uptake, photosynthesis, soil organic carbon, and soil available N and P contents. Conclusively, the use of wheat straw at 5000 kg ha−1, along with 172 kg N ha−1, is a promising option for building a sustainable wheat–maize cropping system to achieve optimal crop yield and improved plant and soil health in a semi-arid region of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress-Resilient Maize for Climate-Vulnerable Environments)
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