Reinventing a sustainable Green Revolution by breeding and planting semi-dwarf maize

Abstract

The agricultural Green Revolution gave rise to semi-dwarf varieties that increased wheat and rice yields under nitrogen-intensive and high-density planting conditions. However, maize, a cornerstone of global food security, has not undergone equivalent architectural improvement. During the 1940s-1960s, significant yield gains in maize were achieved via hybrid breeding. Nevertheless, the growing demand for high-density planting has exposed challenges for maize, such as lodging susceptibility and nutrient competition, driving an urgent need for shorter hybrid maize varieties. Here, we summarize recent advances in maize height regulation, architectural optimization, and nitrogen-use efficiency, which provide actionable targets for semi-dwarf maize breeding. Recent biotechnology breakthroughs now enable the development of semi-dwarf maize varieties with enhanced lodging resistance and reduced fertilizer dependency, thereby overcoming the historical limitations of Green Revolution varieties. We propose that semi-dwarf maize holds the potential to revolutionize maize production by enhancing resilience, yield, and sustainability.

Keywords: high-density planting; lodging resistance; nitrogen-use efficiency; semi-dwarf maize; sustainable agriculture.