Xenia (pollination of florets with genetically unrelated pollen), male sterility (removal of fertile pollen), and synchronous pollination (application of pollen when all silks are present) are well-documented processes that influence kernel formation and development in maize. There also have been numerous reports in which xenia and male sterility were combined in an attempt to increase kernel number, kernel weight, and/or grain yield. We present an analysis of published literature exploring impacts of xenia resulting from cross-pollination, male sterility, and synchronous pollination applied individually or in combination. Although synchronous pollination has had the most consistent and positive impact on seed formation, to our knowledge there are no reports combining all three effectors together. Recently developed technology to collect, preserve, and apply large volumes of maize pollen has provided the opportunity to evaluate the cumulative and potentially synergistic effects of synchronous pollination, xenia, and male sterility applied together on maize hybrids. We present the results of a field trial combining all three effectors in maize; this approach increased kernels per ear, kernel oil concentration, and grain yield per hectare. The results suggest synchronous pollination is essential to enable the greatest number of kernels to develop successfully. Male sterility supports kernel formation by providing greater assimilate supply per kernel, and xenia increases sink strength to attract the additional assimilates. The positive response and economic return when these effectors are applied in combination provides a novel opportunity for grain producers to manage kernel formation and composition proactively using pollen to deliver the trait of choice.

中文翻译：

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结合 xenia、雄性不育和同步授粉以提高玉米产量和市场价值

Xenia（用遗传上不相关的花粉给小花授粉）、雄性不育（去除可育花粉）和同步授粉（当所有花丝都存在时应用花粉）是影响玉米籽粒形成和发育的有据可查的过程。也有许多报道将 xenia 和雄性不育相结合以试图增加籽粒数、籽粒重量和/或谷粒产量。我们对已发表的文献进行了分析，探讨了异花授粉、雄性不育和单独或组合应用的同步授粉对 xenia 的影响。虽然同步授粉对种子形成具有最一致和积极的影响，但据我们所知，还没有将所有三种效应器结合在一起的报道。最近开发的收集、保存、并应用大量玉米花粉提供了评估同步授粉、xenia 和雄性不育一起应用于玉米杂交种的累积和潜在协同效应的机会。我们展示了在玉米中结合所有三种效应器的田间试验结果；这种方法增加了每穗粒数、仁油浓度和每公顷谷物产量。结果表明同步授粉对于使最大数量的谷粒成功发育至关重要。雄性不育通过为每个籽粒提供更多的同化物供应来支持籽粒形成，而 xenia 增加库强度以吸引额外的同化物。