Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40082800›Full record

ArticleBMC plant biology2025

Gene expression through comparative transcriptome analysis unravels the molecular mechanisms of fertilizer-induced hormonal regulation and leaf senescence in maize for enhanced yield in semiarid regions.

Setor Kwami Fudjoe, Shangli Shi, Lingling Li, Sumera Anwar, Junhong Xie, Francis Chimsah, Linlin Wang

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Article in BMC plant biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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7 authors.

Setor Kwami FudjoeState Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Shangli ShiCollege of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. shishl@gsau.edu.cn.
Lingling LiState Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. lill@gsau.edu.cn.
Sumera AnwarDepartment of Botany, Government College Women University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
Junhong XieState Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Francis ChimsahFaculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Science, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Linlin WangState Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFD1900700State Key Laboratory of Arid Land Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University GSCS-2023-01The Education Science and Technology Innovation Special Project of Gansu Province, 2023B-085the National Natural Science Foundation of China 42167008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsFertilizers can significantly influence leaf senescence and hormonal regulation, which in turn impacts crop yield. Despite significant advancements in understanding fertilizer effects on plant growth, the specific molecular mechanisms through which fertilizers influence hormonal regulation and leaf senescence, and subsequent impact on yield, remain underexplored. This study addresses this critical gap by examining transcriptional, physiological, and molecular mechanisms in the semiarid regions of rainfed spring maize under long-term fertilizers.

methodsFertilizer treatments include no amendment (NA), inorganic fertilizer (CF), combined inorganic and organic fertilizer (SC), organic fertilizer (SM), and maize straw (MS) replicated three times.

resultsThe highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed under CF (3972) followed by SC (1949) in comparison to NA, showing a strong effect of inorganic fertilizer on gene expressions. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that numerous genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant hormone signaling, photosynthesis pathways, and metabolic pathways showed varied expressions of up- and downregulation. Genes involved in the ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and brassinosteroid pathways indicated their interaction and promoted leaf senescence, whereas those related to auxin and gibberellin pathways had minimal impact. In the ethylene pathway known to influence senescence, two ethylene receptor (ETR) genes (Zm00001d013486 and Zm00001d021687) were downregulated, whereas, two ethylene-insensitive proteins 3 (EIN2) genes (Zm00001d053594 and Zm00001d033625) showed upregulation in the CF, SC and SM treatments. Furthermore, 86 highly up-regulated genes involved in the photosynthesis pathway encompassing components such as photosynthesis antenna, photosynthesis complexes II, cytochrome complexes, photosynthesis electron transport, and ATP complex in SC and CF compared to SM and MS.

conclusionIn summary, the study finds that DEGs showed stronger responses to inorganic fertilizers, likely due to organic fertilizers decomposing at a slower rate. Nevertheless, transcriptional and physiological analyses indicate that the SC treatment sustainably enhances maize productivity without causing adverse environmental effects, outperforming the other treatments (NA, CF, SM, MS). These results provide new perspectives on genetic regulation and pathway discovery in rainfed maize cultivation in semiarid areas.

Indexed as

FertilizersGene Expression Regulation, PlantPlant Growth RegulatorsPlant LeavesPlant SenescenceTranscriptomeZea maysGene Expression ProfilingFertilizersPlant Growth RegulatorsMaizePhotosynthesisPhysiological analysisPlant hormoneTranscription factorTranscriptome sequencing

Identifiers

PMID40082800
PMCPMC11905492

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