Unveiling Drought-Resilient Latin American Popcorn Lines through Agronomic and Physiological Evaluation.

Water stress can lead to physiological and morphological damage, affecting the growth and development of popcorn. The objective of this study was to identify the yield potential of 43 popcorn lines derived from a Latin American germplasm collection, based on agronomic and physiological traits, under full irrigation (WW) and water deficit conditions (WS), aiming to select superior germplasm. The evaluated agronomic traits included the ear length and diameter, number of grains per row (NGR) and rows per ear (NRE), grain yield (GY), popping expansion (EC), volume of expanded popcorn per hectare (VP), grain length (GL), width, and thickness.

Unraveling the Mechanisms of Efficient Phosphorus Utilization in Popcorn ( L. var. ): Insights from Proteomic and Metabolite Analysis.

The expansion of agriculture and the need for sustainable practices drives breeders to develop plant varieties better adapted to abiotic stress such as nutrient deficiency, which negatively impacts yields. Phosphorus (P) is crucial for photosynthesis and plant growth, but its availability in the soil is often limited, hampering crop development. In this study, we examined the response of two popcorn inbred lines, L80 and P7, which have been characterized previously as P-use inefficient and P-use efficient, respectively, under low (stress) and high P (control) availability.

Seeds of nonhost species as sources of toxic compounds for the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus (F.).

Cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, is the primary pest of stored cowpea seeds. The management of this infestation currently relies on insecticides, resulting in environmental pollution and selection of insecticide-resistant pests. Consequently, research efforts are being devoted to identify natural insecticides as sustainable and environment friendly alternatives for the control of C.

Exploring the Potential of Heterosis to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Popcorn Plants.

Nitrogen is crucial for plant growth and development, and improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a viable strategy for reducing dependence on nitrogen inputs and promoting sustainability. While the benefits of heterosis in corn are well known, the physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in popcorn are less understood. We aimed to investigate the effects of heterosis on growth and physiological traits in four popcorn lines and their hybrids under two contrasting nitrogen conditions.