Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2024, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (6): 912-931.DOI: 10.11983/CBB24127  cstr: 32102.14.CBB24127

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Regulation Mechanism and Breeding Application of Flowering Time in Maize

Juan Yang1,2,, Yuelei Zhao3,, Xiaoyuan Chen2, Baobao Wang3,*(), Haiyang Wang1,*()   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
    2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
    3Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2024-08-21 Accepted:2024-10-31 Online:2024-11-10 Published:2024-10-31
  • Contact: *E-mail: wangbaobao@caas.cn;whyang@scau.edu.cn
  • About author:

    †These authors contributed equally to this paper

Abstract: Maize (Zea mays) is a staple crop worldwide, serving as a major source for food, feedstock, and industrial materials. Flowering time, a key agronomic trait determining diverse environmental adaptation and yield potential of crops, is determined by two developmental transitions (namely vegetative phase change and floral transition), and complicatedly regulated by internal factors (such as genetic factors and plant hormones) and external environmental factors. Given the importance of flowering time, in this review, we summarize the research progresses on the regulation of the two-phase transitions in maize, mainly focusing on the aspects of structural basis, physiological basis, genetic basis and molecular mechanisms. We also highlight the contribution of key flowering regulators to geographical adaptation of maize, and discuss future research directions on flowering and application in breeding, aiming to deepen our understanding of the genetic regulation of maize flowering and provide a theoretical basis for genetic improvement of maize cultivars adapting to diverse environmental conditions.

Key words: maize, vegetative phase change, floral transition, geographical adaptation