A systems-level framework for climate-resilient maize: integrating genetics, microbiomes, agronomy, and policy
Abstract
Abstract Maize (Zea mays L.), a global staple in food and feed systems, faces intensifying threats from drought, heat, flooding, and shifting pest dynamics under climate change. Building resilient maize systems is essential to sustain yield and secure rural livelihoods. Unlike earlier reviews that address genetics, agronomy, or policy separately, this study presents the first integrative roadmap uniting five domains: genetic innovation, climate-smart agronomy, predictive modelling, microbiome engineering, and enabling policy frameworks. Genetic breakthroughs, including Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based editing, genomic selection, and doubled haploids, are accelerating stress-tolerant hybrid development. Agronomic practices such as conservation agriculture, intercropping, precision irrigation, and nutrient optimisation enhance soil health, resource efficiency, and yield stability. Digital tools, including remote sensing, AI-enabled forecasting, and decision-support systems, strengthen early warning and adaptive capacity. Microbiome interventions, particularly drought-adaptive rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, are emerging as frontiers for resilience and nutrient uptake. Socioeconomic enablers, seed system governance, gender-responsive extension, and public–private partnerships, remain decisive for equitable scaling. Case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America demonstrate 20–50 % yield gains under stress conditions through integrated approaches. Yet, major gaps persist in multi-stress breeding pipelines, genotype × microbiome × environment studies, and predictive analytics tailored for smallholder systems. By explicitly linking technological, ecological, and institutional innovations, this review advances a systems-level framework for climate-resilient maize. It calls for AI-driven breeding pipelines, carbon-smart agriculture, and inclusive, farmer-centric innovation models to secure maize-dependent livelihoods and future-proof global food systems.