As the frequency of intensive storm events increases in the U.S. Corn Belt, reduced stature maize hybrids could provide a new approach to improved climate resilience in maize production. We designed gene-edited (, ) maize germplasm with reduced stature to evaluate morphometric traits and grain yield. Four elite edited maize hybrids and their isogenic standard height hybrid comparators were evaluated over a total of 17 field locations in 2021 and 2022. Across three plant densities (80 K, 100 K and 120 K plants ha), plant height of the edited reduced stature hybrids was reduced 34 % and ear height was decreased 32 %. In each of the three plant densities, grain yield of the edited reduced stature hybrids was comparable to the isogenic standard height hybrids. Also, edited z hybrids had significantly less lodging than the standard hybrids. In a separate study, DP202216 () a transgenic event with increased and extended expression of the 28 transcription factor, was crossed with reduced stature edited hybrids. Combining edited with event DP202216 significantly increased hybrid yields over those of edited hybrids under high density (120 K plants ha). These results support a maize production system where edited reduced stature hybrids, alone or in combination with DP202216, provide improved climate resilience with grain yields competitive to standard height hybrids.

中文翻译：

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基因组编辑的 zm-D8 低矮玉米杂交种提高了气候适应能力和竞争力产量


随着美国玉米带强烈风暴事件频率的增加，低矮玉米杂交品种可以提供一种新方法来提高玉米生产的气候适应能力。我们设计了基因编辑的（，）玉米种质，其身材降低了，以评估形态特征和谷物产量。 2021 年和 2022 年，在总共 17 个田间地点对四种经过编辑的精英玉米杂交品种及其等基因标准高度杂交比较进行了评估。在三种植物密度（80 K、100 K 和 120 K 植物公顷）中，经过编辑的矮化植株高度杂交种减少了 34%，穗高减少了 32%。在三种植物密度中的每一种中，编辑的矮矮杂交体的谷物产量与等基因标准高度杂交体相当。此外，经过编辑的 z 杂交品种的倒伏程度明显低于标准杂交品种。在另一项研究中，DP202216 () 是一种转基因事件，其 28 种转录因子的表达增加和延长，与身材矮小的编辑杂交品种杂交。与事件 DP202216 相结合，与高密度（120 K 植物公顷）下编辑的杂交品种相比，显着提高了杂交品种的产量。这些结果支持玉米生产系统，其中单独或与 DP202216 组合编辑的低矮杂交种可提供改善的气候适应能力，其谷物产量与标准高度杂交种具有竞争力。