An unexplored avenue of Striga-resistance in maize.

Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that control plant architecture and cropproductivity. They direct networks regulating resource distribution to harvestable plant parts. Meanwhile, strigolactones are the germinating stimulants of parasitic weed, Striga, which is devastating maize yield and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. To dissect the networks underlying the action of strigolactones and explore a new avenue for breeding Striga-resistant maize, we compared the transcript profiles of 14-day-old maize seedlings from a strigolactone-deficient mutant, zmccd8, and its corresponding B73 wild type.