{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T06:04:37Z","timestamp":1789452277586,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Root system architecture (RSA) plays a pivotal role in nutrient acquisition, water uptake, lodging resistance, and environmental adaptation in maize (\n                    <jats:italic>Zea mays<\/jats:italic>\n                    L.). However, the genetic basis of RSA at the mature stage under field conditions remains poorly characterized, primarily owing to the challenges of high-throughput phenotyping. In this study, RSA-related traits were evaluated in a diverse maize association panel across four field environments using Shovelomics combined with manual measurements. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was performed using the BLINK and 3VmrMLM models, identifying four main-effect loci consistently detected by both methods and three additional loci exhibiting significant QTN-by-environment interactions (QEIs).Notably, SNP AX-90556586 on chromosome 9 was consistently associated with nodal and crown root number across environments. Its candidate gene encodes a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like serine\/threonine-protein kinase with similarity to BRI1\/SOBIR1-like proteins, implicating hormone-mediated root development. Genomic prediction revealed that marker subsets enriched for significant loci enhanced within-population prediction, whereas genome-wide markers better captured the polygenic architecture required for robust cross-population prediction. These findings provide insights into the genetic architecture and environmental responsiveness of maize RSA and offer genomic resources for improving root traits in breeding programs.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1918922","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T05:36:17Z","timestamp":1789450577000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Genome-wide association study and genomic prediction of root system architecture in a diverse field-grown maize panel"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Huairen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhigang","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biological Breeding, Biological Breeding Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences \/ Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biotechnology","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biological Breeding, Biological Breeding Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences \/ Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biotechnology","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jie","family":"Zang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of 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