Figure 3.

Loss of function of ZmNF-YA1 suppresses plant growth and root development in maize. A, Root phenotypes of W22 and zmnf-ya1 mutant plants hydroponically cultured for 10 d. B and C, Total axial root length and lateral root numbers of W22 and zmnf-ya1 mutant plants hydroponically cultured for 10 d. D, Plant height of WT and mutant plants hydroponically cultured for 5, 8, 10, and 12 d. E, Eleven-day-old hydroponically cultured maize plants under normal conditions (Normal Control) and treated with 12% PEG₆₀₀₀, 120 mM NaCl, or 15 mM LiCl for 10 d. F–H, Shoot dry weight, root dry weight and axial root length of WT and ZmNF-YA1 mutants under different conditions and the loss led by stresses. The images of panel A and E were digitally extracted for comparison. All values are means ± SD of three independent experiments (each with five seedlings per line). bar = 5 cm. The asterisks indicate a significant difference at *0.01 < P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01 by a t test.