Nebraska Scientists Study Temperature Stress In Corn With New Model

As the number of extreme weather events increases, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a corn model to help them study the effects of temperature on corn plants at a faster rate.

This is a continuation of a previous project where the team used a model of corn roots to study the plant’s nitrogen-use efficiency under stress. While the previous model specifically focused on the roots, the new model comprises the entire plant and is the largest-ever metabolic model of corn.

Rajib Saha, University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Richard L. and Carol S. McNell associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and principal investigator, says this allows the research team to take a holistic, plant-wide approach to find how the plant’s metabolism can be adjusted to counteract stress.

One of the doctoral students working with Saha, Niaz Dahar Chowdhury, adds that it can also help field researchers using corn plants conduct their experiments more efficiently.

The Research
The study’s team has found inputting excessive heat and cold data into their model slowed plant growth, though the heat proved to be a larger issue for the plant. 

“There is a pressing need to develop high-yielding maize genotypes capable of withstanding temperature stress,” Saha said.

While one way to solve the issue is to develop corn hybrids that are more tolerant to heat, Saha notes the process is very long. He shares another route scientists could take is to inoculate corn roots with Rhizophagus irregularis, a fungus commonly used as a soil inoculant, which has been found to successfully increase plant growth rates under heat and cold stress conditions.

For other researchers looking to study stress on corn, Saha and Chowdhury say the new model will be made available.