Wang Yanru, Zhang Ying, Huang Guanmin, Wang Jinglu, Lv Lujia, Zhao Shuaihao, Lu Xianju, Zhang Minggang, Guo Minkun, Zhang Changyu, Men Qingmei, Guo Xinyu, Zhao Chunjiang
Beijing Key Lab of Digital Plant, National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing, 100097, China.
Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 15;15(1):13009. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96518-1.
The distribution pattern of vascular bundles and microstructure characteristics significantly impact crop yield. Previous studies have primarily focused on investigating the micro-phenotypic characteristics and genetic regulation of individual internode, neglecting the exploration of the relationship between different internodes. This study, for the first time, comprehensively analyzed multi-scale phenotypic information of stem cross-sections, zones, and vascular bundles in three different internodes (basal third internode, ear internode and highest internode) of 268 inbred maize lines using Micro-computed tomography scanning. Key findings revealed that basal third internode and ear internode exhibited more stable microscopic characteristics than highest internode. Inbred lines with higher numbers of vascular bundle and well-developed inner zone in ear internode exhibited better yield characteristics, particularly in the kernel number per row. Genome-wide association analysis respectively identified 15, 1 and 1 putative candidate genes in basal third internode, ear internode and highest internode. These genes encode a variety of enzymes, such as oxidases, synthetases, ligase enzyme and protein kinases. Notably, Zm00001d042490 may be an important putative candidate gene for The number of vascular bundles in the periphery zone and corn grain traits. This study provides an important theoretical basis and genetic resources for accurately identifying different internode phenotypes of maize stalks, potentially advancing the selection of high-yielding, high-quality maize varieties.
维管束的分布模式和微观结构特征对作物产量有显著影响。以往的研究主要集中在调查单个节间的微观表型特征和遗传调控，而忽视了对不同节间之间关系的探索。本研究首次利用微型计算机断层扫描技术，对268个玉米自交系的三个不同节间（基部第三节间、穗节间和最高节间）的茎横截面、节间区域和维管束的多尺度表型信息进行了全面分析。主要研究结果表明，基部第三节间和穗节间比最高节间表现出更稳定的微观特征。穗节间维管束数量较多且内部区域发育良好的自交系表现出更好的产量特征，尤其是每行粒数。全基因组关联分析分别在基部第三节间、穗节间和最高节间鉴定出15个、1个和1个假定的候选基因。这些基因编码多种酶，如氧化酶、合成酶、连接酶和蛋白激酶。值得注意的是，Zm00001d042490可能是外周区域维管束数量和玉米籽粒性状的一个重要假定候选基因。本研究为准确鉴定玉米茎秆不同节间表型提供了重要的理论依据和遗传资源，有望推动高产、优质玉米品种的选育。
