Vanhevel Yasmine, De Moor Astrid, Muylle Hilde, Vanholme Ruben, Boerjan Wout
Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
Front Plant Sci. 2024 Jul 26;15:1419796. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1419796. eCollection 2024.
Forage maize is a versatile crop extensively utilized for animal nutrition in agriculture and holds promise as a valuable resource for the production of fermentable sugars in the biorefinery sector. Within this context, the carbohydrate fraction of the lignocellulosic biomass undergoes deconstruction during ruminal digestion and the saccharification process. However, the cell wall's natural resistance towards enzymatic degradation poses a significant challenge during both processes. This so-called biomass recalcitrance is primarily attributed to the presence of lignin and ferulates in the cell walls. Consequently, maize varieties with a reduced lignin or ferulate content or an altered lignin composition can have important beneficial effects on cell wall digestibility. Considerable efforts in genetic improvement have been dedicated towards enhancing cell wall digestibility, benefiting agriculture, the biorefinery sector and the environment. In part I of this paper, we review conventional and advanced breeding methods used in the genetic improvement of maize germplasm. In part II, we zoom in on maize mutants with altered lignin for improved digestibility and biomass processing.
青贮玉米是一种用途广泛的作物，在农业中被广泛用于动物营养，并且有望成为生物精炼领域生产可发酵糖的宝贵资源。在此背景下，木质纤维素生物质的碳水化合物部分在瘤胃消化和糖化过程中会发生解构。然而，细胞壁对酶解的天然抗性在这两个过程中都构成了重大挑战。这种所谓的生物质顽固性主要归因于细胞壁中木质素和阿魏酸的存在。因此，木质素或阿魏酸含量降低或木质素组成改变的玉米品种可能对细胞壁消化率产生重要的有益影响。为提高细胞壁消化率，在遗传改良方面已经付出了巨大努力，这对农业、生物精炼领域和环境都有益处。在本文的第一部分，我们回顾了用于玉米种质遗传改良的传统和先进育种方法。在第二部分，我们将聚焦于木质素改变以提高消化率和生物质加工性能的玉米突变体。
