Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 89-97 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 95 also obvious: the climate is becoming more and more unpredictable, the environmental pressure is increasing, and the challenges of breeding are more difficult than before. Although the corn germplasm bank is rich in resources, it is not so smooth to use, especially in multi-target breeding tasks, the utilization rate is not high. If you want to break through the status quo, some directions are still worth trying. For example, combine the protection of germplasm resources with breeding practice, not just "storage", but also "use". If genetic diversity can be brought into play more effectively, breeding efficiency will naturally keep up. Regarding the future improvement direction, this article proposes some ideas. Although they may not be comprehensive, we hope they can bring some inspiration to corn breeding. Cooperation has actually been mentioned many times, but it is indeed the key. In particular, platforms such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have brought together many global resources, not only developing many corn varieties with strong adaptability and good resistance, but also making technology exchanges and germplasm sharing more efficient. It is difficult to advance this matter by fighting alone. Countries should be more open and the mechanism should be more flexible. Only in this way can resources and technologies be truly circulated and serve more farmers. Of course, the role of the private sector cannot be ignored. In some places, it is precisely because of public-private cooperation that drought-resistant corn varieties can be truly implemented, farmers can plant them, and the yield has also increased. Just like some projects promoted by CIMMYT, it is through these methods that varieties that adapt to climate change are sent to the places where they are most needed. In addition to cooperation, another variable is technology. The emergence of new technologies has indeed brought many possibilities to breeding. For example, gene editing-especially CRISPR-Cas9 - can directly introduce or eliminate certain target traits, which is much more efficient than traditional breeding. There is also high-throughput phenotyping technology, which makes large-scale screening more realistic. The problem is that the application of these technologies is uneven in different countries. In particular, some developing countries with insufficient resources still find it difficult to fully use these methods. Future research should perhaps focus more on how to use these new tools in the most practical scenarios, so that improved varieties can really enter the fields. After all, the protection and efficient use of corn germplasm resources is not the responsibility of any country, nor can any institution accomplish it alone. This is a global matter. Looking to the future, breeding goals will not become simpler, but more and more complex. Climate change, land degradation, population growth, none of these problems can be avoided. Therefore, if you really want to do well, in addition to using new technologies and strengthening cooperation mechanisms, you must also have policy guarantees and stable financial support. Only when all aspects keep up can corn breeding be more and more stable on the road to sustainable development. Corn is not just a crop in the field, it is also the support for global food security. In the future, it will continue to be one of the most core roles in the agricultural system. Acknowledgments The authors extend sincere thanks to two anonymous peer reviewers for their invaluable feedback on the manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Assefa F., Ayalew D., and Moral M.T., 2019, Status and control measures of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) infestations in maize fields in Ethiopia: a review, Cogent Food & Agriculture, 5(1): 1641902. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2019.1641902 Andorf C., Beavis W.D., Hufford M., Smith S., Suza W.P., Wang K., Woodhouse M., Yu J., and Lübberstedt T., 2019, Technological advances in maize breeding: past, present and future, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 132(3): 817-849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-019-03306-3
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