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Updated: May 21, 2025

Imaging and Analysis for Quantifying Maize (Zea mays) Abiotic Stress Phenotypes
Published on: March 28, 2025
DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize
Wenqi Zhou1, Jun Yin2, Yuqian Zhou1
1Maize Research Center of Gansu Province, Crop Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Maize plants with altered stomatal development show improved drought tolerance and water-use efficiency (WUE). Targeting the DSD1 gene offers a promising strategy for enhancing maize resilience to drought stress.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Genetics
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Drought stress significantly limits global maize production and yield.
- Stomata are critical for plant transpiration, gas exchange, and water-use efficiency (WUE).
- Improving WUE is essential for developing drought-tolerant crops.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the maize dsd1 mutant and its role in stomatal development.
- To investigate the function of DSD1 (ZmICEb) in maize drought tolerance.
- To identify potential genetic targets for improving maize resilience to drought.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of the maize dsd1 mutant with defects in stomatal development.
- Identification of DSD1 as a homolog of Arabidopsis ICE1, encoding ZmICEb.
- Analysis of DSD1/ZmICEb expression in stomatal development.
Main Results:
- The dsd1 mutant exhibited defects in guard mother cell differentiation, subsidiary cell formation, and guard cell maturation.
- DSD1/ZmICEb plays a conserved role in stomatal development in both maize and Arabidopsis.
- Mutations in DSD1/ZmICEb significantly enhanced drought tolerance and WUE in maize.
- Altered stomatal density in dsd1 mutants reduced yield losses under drought conditions.
Conclusions:
- DSD1/ZmICEb is a key regulator of stomatal development in maize.
- Manipulating stomatal density via DSD1/ZmICEb is a viable strategy for enhancing maize drought tolerance.
- DSD1/ZmICEb is a promising target gene for genetic improvement of maize for arid environments.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Responses to Salt Stress
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte

