<i>ZmGRAS46</i> negatively regulates flowering time in maize

Flowering time is an important factor limiting the planting area of maize (<i>Zea may</i> L.). Gibberellin (GA) can regulate plant flowering time by mediating the GA signaling pathway. This study screened significantly down-regulated gene <i>ZmGRAS46</i> by early flowering mutant transcriptomic sequencing (PRJNA788070) in the previous laboratory. The expression pattern analysis of the <i>ZmGRAS46</i> gene shows that it has the highest expression level in maize stems. The stem treatment with 200 μmol/L GA₃ resulted in the lowest expression of <i>ZmGRAS46</i> at 3 h. Positive maize plants were obtained through the modified Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of maize. The results showed that overexpression of <i>ZmGRAS46</i> delayed the flowering of maize, and gene editing of <i>ZmGRAS46</i> made maize blossom earlier. In addition, overexpression of <i>ZmGRAS46</i> could increase maize 100-grain weight. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of the <i>GRAS</i> gene in regulating plant flowering.