Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.6, 294-303 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 299 Interestingly, the knockout of the ZmHDT103 gene did not make plants "weak"; instead, it reduced the pore size of stomata, decreased water loss, and at the same time promoted the accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) and increased peroxidase activity. These two changes seem independent, but they jointly enhance the regulation of stomata and antioxidant capacity. Overall, these modifications have enabled plants to learn to "conserve" during droughts: reducing transpiration and maintaining internal water content, thus surviving the stage of water deficiency. Figure 2 Knockdown of ZmPL alleviate the inhibition of seed germination rate and root length under drought stress.(a) seeds of WT and transgenic lines germinated on filter paper soaked of PEG6000. Scale bar = 0.5 cm. (B, C) statistics of germination rate and root length for different genotypes. Using Student’s t-test, asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (*p <0.05; **p < 0.01). Data are shown as mean ± SD from three independent experiments (Adopted from Wang et al., 2025) 6.2 Enhanced water retention, reduced wilting, and better photosynthetic performance If the changes in stomata help plants save water, then water retention and photosynthetic performance determine how long they can "survive". In CRISPR-edited strains targeting negative regulatory factors such as ZmPL1 and ZmHDT103, researchers observed higher leaf water content, less wilting, and higher seedling survival rates under drought stress. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in these plants decreased, indicating that cell membrane damage was alleviated and oxidative stress was also reduced. Meanwhile, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of proline increase, making osmotic regulation more effective and the cells more stable. It is precisely for this reason that they can still maintain the efficiency of photosynthesis during droughts.
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