Summary
This narrative review synthesises current understanding of maize lodging — the bending or breaking of stems under stress — examining the environmental, genetic, pathogenic, and hormonal factors that determine susceptibility. It reviews advances in breeding and CRISPR-based approaches targeting stem architecture, alongside agronomic interventions such as fertiliser management. The authors propose an integrated framework combining genomic tools and hormonal insights to support the development of lodging-resistant maize varieties with relevance to global food security.
UK applicability
Whilst the review is global in scope and focuses on maize, the principles around stem architecture, hormonal regulation, and genomic breeding strategies are broadly applicable to UK arable systems, particularly where maize is grown for silage or biogas. UK growers and breeders may find the agronomic and CRISPR-related insights relevant given increasing interest in lodging resistance across cereal crops.
Key measures
Lodging incidence; stem mechanical strength; plant architecture traits; yield implications; hormonal regulation markers; genetic and breeding outcomes
Outcomes reported
The review examines factors contributing to maize lodging susceptibility and evaluates the effectiveness of genetic, hormonal, and agronomic interventions in reducing lodging incidence and supporting crop productivity.
Topic tags
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