Drought Stress Effects on Reproductive Development in Maize

The global challenge of climate change has increased the frequency and severity of drought, threatening maize yield by impeding the reproductive phase. Drought during flowering and early kernel development leads to disrupted silk growth, reduced pollination and ovary abortion, ultimately causing kernel loss. Critical physiological responses include alterations in carbohydrate allocation, hormonal signalling and structural ear traits that determine the capacity to set and fill kernels. Genetic variation underpins differences in tolerance, as some inbred lines maintain sink strength and efficient remobilisation of assimilates under water deficit. Advances in understanding the molecular and proteomic adjustments, together with breeding for favourable ear architecture and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency under elevated CO₂, offer pathways to stabilise yield. Integrated approaches that combine physiological phenotyping, genetic control of ovary survival and novel management strategies are central to safeguarding global maize production under drought stress.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed that the extent of ovary abortion is under strong genetic control across diverse maize lines. Work in high-throughput inbred collections has shown that only a subset of fertilised ovaries progress to maturity, with variation in abortion rate mapping to specific genomic regions. Lines with reduced ovary abortion exhibit enhanced kernel set and present new targets for yield improvement. The identification of genetic loci governing ovary survival provides a blueprint for breeding programmes aimed at lowering abortion frequency and increasing grain number in drought-prone environments.

Drought Stress Effects on Reproductive Development in Maize publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in drought stress effects on reproductive development in maize across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ovary abortion: Failure of a fertilised ovary to develop into a mature kernel under stress conditions.

Kernel set: Successful fertilisation and initial development of kernels on the maize ear.

Silk elongation: Growth of the maize silks (styles) through the husk to enable pollination.

Assimilate remobilisation: Redistribution of photosynthetic products from vegetative tissues to developing kernels.

Proteome: Complete array of proteins expressed in a cell or tissue at a given time.

References

1. Securing maize reproductive success under drought stress by harnessing CO2 fertilization for greater productivity. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
2. A Moderate Water Deficit Induces Profound Changes in the Proteome of Developing Maize Ovaries. Biomolecules (2024).
3. Delayed pollination and low availability of assimilates are major factors causing maize kernel abortion. Journal of Experimental Botany (2018).
4. Ovary abortion is prevalent in diverse maize inbred lines and is under genetic control. Scientific Reports (2018).
5. Stubby or Slender? Ear Architecture Is Related to Drought Resistance in Maize. Frontiers in Plant Science (2022).
6. Pre‐silking water deficit in maize induced kernel loss through impaired silk growth and ovary carbohydrate dynamics. Plant-Environment Interactions (2024).