Stem microanatomical phenomic uncovers a potential role for ZmLSM2 in regulating maize stem bending strength

doi:10.1111/jipb.70140

Stem microanatomical phenomic uncovers a potential role for ZmLSM2 in regulating maize stem bending strength

Ying Zhang^1,2,3,4†, Zejia Wang^5†, Jianjun Du^1,2,3†, Jiawen Li^5†, Guanmin Huang^1,2,3, Yanxin Zhao⁶, Yanru Wang^1,2,3, Qingmei Men^1,2,3, Minkun Guo^1,2,3, Minggang Zhang^1,2,3, Xianju Lu^1,2,3, Chuanyu Wang^1,2,3, Qikun Liu^5*, Xinyu Guo^1,2,3* and Chunjiang Zhao^1,2,3*

1. Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China;
2. National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing 100097, China;
3. Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Plant, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China;
4. Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Design and Intelligent Breeding, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China;
5. State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research, Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology (BEACON), School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
6. Beijing Key Laboratory of Maize DNA Fingerprinting and Molecular Breeding, Maize Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China;
^†These authors contributed equally.;
^*Correspondences: Chunjiang Zhao (zhaocj@nercita.org.cn, Prof. Zhao is fully responsible for the distribution of all materials associated with this article); Qikun Liu (qikunliu@pku.edu.cn); Xinyu Guo (guoxy73@163.com)

Received:2025-10-20 Accepted:2025-12-21 Online:2026-01-19
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32330075), the Construction of Collaborative Innovation Center of Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (KJCX20240406), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (JQ24037), the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Grants (GGFZ20240106), the National Key R&D Program of China (2024YFF1000303), the State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research, Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology (BEACON) to Qikun Liu, and the Earmarked Fund for CARS-02 and CARS-54.

Abstract

Abstract: Modern maize stems possess a well-developed vascular bundle system, which is critical for providing mechanical support and lodging resistance. However, characterization of the microanatomical features of vascular bundles and their functional implications in stem mechanics remains challenging, primarily due to technical limitations in high-throughput microanatomical analysis of stem tissues. We thus constructed data sets consisting of over 500,000 maize stem CT images from a maize diversity panel of 383 inbred lines. We evaluated 32 microanatomical phenotypes of maize basal internodes across two environments in different years. By incorporating engineering mechanics parameters, we calculated novel characteristics of the vascular bundles, including the moment of area (MOA) and the polar moment of inertia (PMOI). Through the high-density phenotypic data set, we identified multiple stem microanatomical phenotypes strongly associated with lodging resistance, particularly of vascular bundle mechanical traits. By integrating population genetic profiling, we discovered and confirmed that ZmLSM2 (U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein specific Sm-like 2) serves as a key regulator of stem mechanical strength, might function in RNA processing and maturation within vascular stem cells, identifying novel genetic targets for improving maize lodging resistance. This approach demonstrates the value of combining advanced phenotyping with multi-omics analyses for crop improvement. These discoveries will deepen the understanding of plant stem biomechanical principles and provide novel targets for enhancing lodging resistance in crop breeding programs.

Key words: lodging resistance, maize, stem mechanics, vascular bundle, ZmLSM2

Ying Zhang, Zejia Wang, Jianjun Du, Jiawen Li, Guanmin Huang, Yanxin Zhao, Yanru Wang, Qingmei Men, Minkun Guo, Minggang Zhang, Xianju Lu, Chuanyu Wang, Qikun Liu, Xinyu Guo, Chunjiang Zhao. Stem microanatomical phenomic uncovers a potential role for ZmLSM2 in regulating maize stem bending strength[J]. J Integr Plant Biol., DOI: 10.1111/jipb.70140.

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Stem microanatomical phenomic uncovers a potential role for ZmLSM2 in regulating maize stem bending strength

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