Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
07:45
An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients
Published on: October 22, 2018
15.9K
Inheritance of root morphology in tropical maize under contrasting nitrogen levels
Nathalia Campos Vilela Resende1, Isabela Durães Azevedo1, Vidomar Destro1
1Department of Agronomy, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-900, MG, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|April 29, 2026
Summary
Improving tropical maize root traits for low-nitrogen conditions involves understanding gene inheritance. Additive gene action is key, with cytoplasmic genes also influencing root size, suggesting consistent breeding strategies for both low- and high-nitrogen environments.
Area of Science:
- Plant breeding and genetics
- Agronomy and crop science
Background:
- Developing low-nitrogen (N) tolerant and N-efficient tropical maize varieties is crucial for sustainable agriculture.
- Root morphology traits are key targets for improving N utilization, but their inheritance in tropical maize, especially under low-N stress, is poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the inheritance patterns of seedling root and shoot traits in tropical maize under contrasting nitrogen (N) levels (low N and high N).
- To assess the influence of additive, nonadditive, and cytoplasmic gene actions on these traits.
- To evaluate heterosis for root and shoot traits under different N conditions.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of 90 tropical maize crosses (45 F1 and 45 reciprocal) and 10 parental inbred lines.
- Phenotypic assessment of root and shoot traits under controlled low-N and high-N conditions.
- Statistical analysis using a mixed model approach to estimate combining abilities (GCA, RGCA, SCA, RSCA) and heterosis.
Main Results:
- Inheritance of root and shoot traits is predominantly governed by additive gene action, with significant contributions from nonadditive gene action for certain traits.
- Cytoplasmic genes show a minor influence on root size inheritance.
- Low-N stress minimally impacts the inheritance of root traits, indicating that breeding strategies can be broadly applied.
- Specific parental lines exhibited favorable nuclear or cytoplasmic genes for enhancing root size.
Conclusions:
- Breeding schemes for improving tropical maize root size can be effective under both low-N stress and non-stress conditions.
- Exploiting additive gene action and considering cytoplasmic effects are important for developing superior tropical maize varieties.
- Heterosis and the direction of crosses should be strategically utilized in breeding programs to enhance root size, particularly for low-N environments.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
928
Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme...
928
02:16Light Acquisition
8.0K
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
8.0K
01:40Overview of Metabolism
25.7K
Living cells constantly carry out various chemical reactions which are necessary for their proper functioning. These reactions are interlinked to one another via multiple pathways. The collection of these chemical reactions is known as metabolism.
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...
25.7K