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<p>Ensuring food safety and nutritional security under biotic stress remains a major challenge for sustainable maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluated the genetic, nutritional, and transcriptional responses of extra-early provitamin A quality protein maize inbred lines artificially inoculated with Aspergillus flavus during the 2023–2024 cropping seasons. Field trials were conducted at Oke Oyi in the southern Guinea savannah of Nigeria using a randomised complete block design with three replications. Significant (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01) genotypic variation was observed across agronomic and nutritional traits. Grain yield ranged from 2.79 to 3.52 t ha<sup>−1</sup>, with TZEEIORQ 55, TZEEIORQ 50, and TZEEIORQ 52 outperforming the susceptible check by more than 13 per cent. TZEEIORQ 55 recorded the lowest aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> concentration (7.9&#xa0;µg&#xa0;kg<sup>−1</sup>) alongside the highest β carotene (11.5&#xa0;µg&#xa0;g<sup>−1</sup>), lysine (0.50%), and tryptophan (0.090%), corresponding to a 53 per cent increase in provitamin A and a 19 per cent increase in essential amino acids, respectively. High broad-sense heritability estimates (0.71–0.85) indicated that these traits are strongly genetically controlled under fungal stress. Expression patterns of chromatin-associated regulators suggest the involvement of DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA pathways in defence and metabolic coordination. However, direct profiling of these regulators was not undertaken, and conclusions regarding epigenetic regulation remain inferential. Overall, TZEEIORQ 55, TZEEIORQ 54, and TZEEIORQ 61 consistently combined enhanced nutritional quality, yield stability, and aflatoxin resilience, emphasising their potential as valuable germplasm for next-generation maize breeding.</p>

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Transcriptional and nutritional responses of extra-early provitamin A quality protein maize under aflatoxin stress

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月4日

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  • Omolaran Bashir Bello

摘要

Ensuring food safety and nutritional security under biotic stress remains a major challenge for sustainable maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluated the genetic, nutritional, and transcriptional responses of extra-early provitamin A quality protein maize inbred lines artificially inoculated with Aspergillus flavus during the 2023–2024 cropping seasons. Field trials were conducted at Oke Oyi in the southern Guinea savannah of Nigeria using a randomised complete block design with three replications. Significant (P < 0.01) genotypic variation was observed across agronomic and nutritional traits. Grain yield ranged from 2.79 to 3.52 t ha−1, with TZEEIORQ 55, TZEEIORQ 50, and TZEEIORQ 52 outperforming the susceptible check by more than 13 per cent. TZEEIORQ 55 recorded the lowest aflatoxin B1 concentration (7.9 µg kg−1) alongside the highest β carotene (11.5 µg g−1), lysine (0.50%), and tryptophan (0.090%), corresponding to a 53 per cent increase in provitamin A and a 19 per cent increase in essential amino acids, respectively. High broad-sense heritability estimates (0.71–0.85) indicated that these traits are strongly genetically controlled under fungal stress. Expression patterns of chromatin-associated regulators suggest the involvement of DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA pathways in defence and metabolic coordination. However, direct profiling of these regulators was not undertaken, and conclusions regarding epigenetic regulation remain inferential. Overall, TZEEIORQ 55, TZEEIORQ 54, and TZEEIORQ 61 consistently combined enhanced nutritional quality, yield stability, and aflatoxin resilience, emphasising their potential as valuable germplasm for next-generation maize breeding.