A transposon surveillance mechanism that safeguards plant male fertility during stress.

Although plants are able to withstand a range of environmental conditions, spikes in ambient temperature can impact plant fertility causing reductions in seed yield and notable economic losses. Therefore, understanding the precise molecular mechanisms that underpin plant fertility under environmental constraints is critical to safeguarding future food production. Here, we identified two Argonaute-like proteins whose activities are required to sustain male fertility in maize plants under high temperatures.