03 June 2026
The synchronous flowering of male and female flower clusters in maize is crucial, but drought disrupts this synchrony, leading to considerable yield losses. A gene called SAUR72 is shown to preserve flowering synchrony in drought conditions, offering a potential strategy for breeding drought-resilient maize varieties.
This is a summary of: Zhu, C. et al. A SAUR gene enhances maize drought resilience by promoting silk elongation. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10566-9 (2026).
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
