Maize EC regulates flowering time under both LD and SD conditions. A–D, Comparison and quantification of the flowering time of WT, Zmelf3.1 and Zmelf3.2 single mutants, and the Zmelf3.1 Zmelf3.2 double mutant under LD (A, B) or SD (C, D) conditions. Scale bars, 30 cm. Values are means ± SD (n ≥ 11 plants). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences determined by the Duncan’s multiple-range test (P < 0.05). E–J, The relative transcript levels of three maize florigen genes (ZCN8, ZCN7, and ZCN12) are downregulated in the Zmelf3.1 Zmelf3.2 double mutant grown under LD (E–G) or SD (H–J) conditions. Leaves from V6-stage plants grown under the indicated conditions were harvested for RNA extraction. Values are means ± SD (n = 3 biological replicates). Two independent experiments were performed, with similar results. K–N, Comparison and quantification of the flowering time of WT, Zmlux1, and Zmlux2 single mutants and the Zmlux1 Zmlux2 double mutant grown under LD (K, L) or SD (M, N) conditions. Scale bars, 30 cm. Values are means ± SD (n ≥ 3 plants). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences determined by Duncan’s multiple-range test (P < 0.05).