Maize is the highest yielding cereal crop grown worldwide for grain or silage. Here, we show that modulating the expression of the maize PLASTOCHRON1 (ZmPLA1) gene, encoding a cytochrome P450 (CYP78A1), results in increased organ growth, seedling vigour, stover biomass and seed yield. The engineered trait is robust as it improves yield in an inbred as well as in a panel of hybrids, at several locations and over multiple seasons in the field. Transcriptome studies, hormone measurements and the expression of the auxin responsive DR5rev:mRFPer marker suggest that PLA1 may function through an increase in auxin. Detailed analysis of growth over time demonstrates that PLA1 stimulates the duration of leaf elongation by maintaining dividing cells in a proliferative, undifferentiated state for a longer period of time. The prolonged duration of growth also compensates for growth rate reduction caused by abiotic stresses.

Department of Biology Brigham Young University Provo 84602 Utah USA

Department of Genetics Development and Cell Biology Iowa State University Ames 50011 Iowa USA

Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Ghent University 9052 Gent Belgium

Department of Plant Systems Biology VIB 9052 Gent Belgium

Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research 9820 Merelbeke Belgium

Institute of Experimental Botany Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 771 47 Olomouc Czech Republic

Laboratory of Growth Regulators and Department of Chemical Biology and Genetics Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research Palacký University 771 47 Olomouc Czech Republic

Umeå Plant Science Centre Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 907 36 Umeå Sweden

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