Microbes play a key role in improving the vigor of hybrid corn

A new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides new details and understanding of the cultivation of corn, the largest cash crop in the United States

The research conducted by a team at the University of Kansas centered on “hybrid vigor.

The new PNAS study investigated the relationship between heterosis and soil microbes, showing that in most cases, heterosis is promoted by microbial communities

Maggie Wagner, the first author of the study, said: “Hybridity is very important in agriculture, because one of the reasons for the significant increase in crop yields in the past few decades is the use of hybrids.

In a series of experiments, Wagner and her co-authors found that in most cases, inbred lines and hybrids behave similarly under sterile conditions without the presence of microorganisms, but heterosis "can be achieved by inoculating 7 bacterial strains.

Wagner said: "In laboratory experiments, we basically grow these plants in plastic bags to provide them with a completely sterile environment

In a soil steaming experiment conducted at the field test station-which temporarily eliminated or reduced microorganisms-the researchers found that steaming "increased rather than reduced heterosis, indicating that the direction of this effect depends on the community Composition, environment, or both

Wagner said: "This is very complicated, we have not fully understood what happened

Wagner said: "My collaborator is Manuel Kleiner of North Carolina State University.

Microbe-dependent heterosis in maize

###