Improving resilience to high temperature in drought: water replenishment enhances sucrose and amino acid metabolisms in maize grain.

Heat stress poses a significant threat to maize, especially when combined with drought. Recent research highlights the potential of water replenishment to ameliorate grain weight loss. However, the mitigating mechanisms of heat in drought stress, especially during the crucial early grain-filling stage, remain poorly understood.

Can high-yielding maize system decrease greenhouse gas emissions largely while simultaneously enhancing economic and ecosystem benefits through the "Rhizobiont" concept? Evidence from field.

Ensuring high grain yields while minimizing environmental costs is a pressing imperative aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this study, we sought to establish a high-yielding maize system (HYMS) by implementing the innovative "Rhizobiont" concept for nutrient management, while substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A 2-yr field study was conducted in a station of China Agriculture University (Wuqiao) with six treatments.

China can be self-sufficient in maize production by 2030 with optimal crop management.

Population growth and economic development in China has increased the demand for food and animal feed, raising questions regarding China's future maize production self-sufficiency. Here, we address this challenge by combining data-driven projections with a machine learning method on data from 402 stations, with data from 87 field experiments across China. Current maize yield would be roughly doubled with the implementation of optimal planting density and management.