Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding

Meeting the rising demand for staple grains now requires cultivars that combine high yield, enhanced nutritional value, and strong chemical resilience. Blue-kernel landraces from central Mexico are rich in anthocyanins yet remain highly susceptible to post-emergence herbicides, whereas modern hybrid...

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Main Authors: Sergio Arias-Martínez, Luis Jesús Peña-Vázquez, Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio, José Andrés Barajas-Chávez, Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio, Jesús Rubén Torres-García
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1308
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author Sergio Arias-Martínez
Luis Jesús Peña-Vázquez
Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio
José Andrés Barajas-Chávez
Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio
Jesús Rubén Torres-García
author_facet Sergio Arias-Martínez
Luis Jesús Peña-Vázquez
Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio
José Andrés Barajas-Chávez
Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio
Jesús Rubén Torres-García
author_sort Sergio Arias-Martínez
collection DOAJ
description Meeting the rising demand for staple grains now requires cultivars that combine high yield, enhanced nutritional value, and strong chemical resilience. Blue-kernel landraces from central Mexico are rich in anthocyanins yet remain highly susceptible to post-emergence herbicides, whereas modern hybrids detoxify these compounds through cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. We crossed the anthocyanin-rich variety Polimaize with a CYP450-tolerant hybrid and evaluated the two parents and their F<sub>1</sub> segregants (designated “White” and “Yellow”) under greenhouse applications of mesotrione (75 g a.i. ha<sup>−1</sup>), nicosulfuron (30 g a.i. ha<sup>−1</sup>), and their mixture. Across 160 plants, the hybrid retained 95% of control dry matter and showed ≤7% foliar injury under all treatments, whereas Polimaize lost 28% biomass and exhibited 36% injury after nicosulfuron. The Yellow class matched hybrid performance while maintaining a blue pericarp and a β-carotene-rich endosperm, demonstrating that nutritional and agronomic traits can be stacked. The White class displayed heterosis-driven compensatory growth, exceeding its untreated biomass by 60% with nicosulfuron and by 82% with the mixture despite transient bleaching. Chlorophyll and carotenoid fluorescence revealed rapid, zeaxanthin-linked photoprotection in all tolerant genotypes, consistent with accelerated CYP450-mediated detoxification. These findings show that broad-spectrum herbicide tolerance can be introgressed into pigment-rich germplasm through conventional breeding, providing a non-transgenic path to herbicide-ready, anthocyanin-rich maize. The strategy preserves local biodiversity while delivering cultivars suited to intensive, weed-competitive agriculture and offers a template for integrating metabolic resilience into other native crops.
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spelling doaj-art-e2f26ed2ebe54ec5b7db7a6e0eb72d952025-08-20T02:24:03ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-05-01156130810.3390/agronomy15061308Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional BreedingSergio Arias-Martínez0Luis Jesús Peña-Vázquez1Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio2José Andrés Barajas-Chávez3Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio4Jesús Rubén Torres-García5Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Unidad Michoacán, Justo Sierra 28, Col. Centro, Jiquilpan 59510, MexicoInstituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Unidad Michoacán, Justo Sierra 28, Col. Centro, Jiquilpan 59510, MexicoInstituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Unidad Michoacán, Justo Sierra 28, Col. Centro, Jiquilpan 59510, MexicoInstituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Unidad Michoacán, Justo Sierra 28, Col. Centro, Jiquilpan 59510, MexicoInstituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Unidad Michoacán, Justo Sierra 28, Col. Centro, Jiquilpan 59510, MexicoInvestigadores por México, Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación, Ciudad de México 03940, CDMX, MexicoMeeting the rising demand for staple grains now requires cultivars that combine high yield, enhanced nutritional value, and strong chemical resilience. Blue-kernel landraces from central Mexico are rich in anthocyanins yet remain highly susceptible to post-emergence herbicides, whereas modern hybrids detoxify these compounds through cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. We crossed the anthocyanin-rich variety Polimaize with a CYP450-tolerant hybrid and evaluated the two parents and their F<sub>1</sub> segregants (designated “White” and “Yellow”) under greenhouse applications of mesotrione (75 g a.i. ha<sup>−1</sup>), nicosulfuron (30 g a.i. ha<sup>−1</sup>), and their mixture. Across 160 plants, the hybrid retained 95% of control dry matter and showed ≤7% foliar injury under all treatments, whereas Polimaize lost 28% biomass and exhibited 36% injury after nicosulfuron. The Yellow class matched hybrid performance while maintaining a blue pericarp and a β-carotene-rich endosperm, demonstrating that nutritional and agronomic traits can be stacked. The White class displayed heterosis-driven compensatory growth, exceeding its untreated biomass by 60% with nicosulfuron and by 82% with the mixture despite transient bleaching. Chlorophyll and carotenoid fluorescence revealed rapid, zeaxanthin-linked photoprotection in all tolerant genotypes, consistent with accelerated CYP450-mediated detoxification. These findings show that broad-spectrum herbicide tolerance can be introgressed into pigment-rich germplasm through conventional breeding, providing a non-transgenic path to herbicide-ready, anthocyanin-rich maize. The strategy preserves local biodiversity while delivering cultivars suited to intensive, weed-competitive agriculture and offers a template for integrating metabolic resilience into other native crops.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1308anthocyaninsconventional breedingcytochrome P450herbicide detoxificationmesotrionemetabolic tolerance
spellingShingle Sergio Arias-Martínez
Luis Jesús Peña-Vázquez
Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio
José Andrés Barajas-Chávez
Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio
Jesús Rubén Torres-García
Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
Agronomy
anthocyanins
conventional breeding
cytochrome P450
herbicide detoxification
mesotrione
metabolic tolerance
title Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
title_full Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
title_fullStr Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
title_full_unstemmed Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
title_short Integrating Cytochrome P450-Mediated Herbicide Tolerance into Anthocyanin-Rich Maize Through Conventional Breeding
title_sort integrating cytochrome p450 mediated herbicide tolerance into anthocyanin rich maize through conventional breeding
topic anthocyanins
conventional breeding
cytochrome P450
herbicide detoxification
mesotrione
metabolic tolerance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1308
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