Two genes discovered that regulate the early flowering of maize grown in territories with a temperate climate. This is what emerges from the study published in the journal Plos Genetics by the group of Italian researchers of the State University of Milan, coordinated by Lucio Conti, in collaboration with the French University of Montpellier.
The two genes, called ZCN8 and ZCN12, guarantee the many varieties of maize a high variability in flowering. To understand the genetic basis of maize flowering, the researchers studied a collection of 350 temperate maize varieties of North American and European origin.
"Corn is a plant of tropical origin whose flowering has been subject to strong selective pressure," explain the authors of the study. "The expansion of corn in temperate climates occurred, in fact, thanks to the selection of a series of mutations that allowed the plant to bloom in long days, typical of our summer," they add.
The plant is able to implement different adaptation strategies, depending on the different environmental conditions. “The possibility of early flowering - the experts specify - is, for example, useful in climatic zones characterized by dry summers, or very short, to avoid situations of extreme stress. Conversely, warm temperate climates require the selection of late flowering to accumulate more biomass. The study - they conclude - is useful for optimizing the development of maize varieties in the context of climate change generated by global warming ".
