Molecular regulation mechanism of leaf angle formation in maize

Maize(Zea mays L.) leaf angle,highly correlated with the corn architecture and yield,is one of the most important agronomic traits affecting high-density planting.This article summarized the findings of QTLs/genes related to the regulation of maize leaf angle formation in recent years,and reviewed the molecular regulation mechanism of maize leaf angle formation.The current results showed that studying the key QTLs/ genes controlling the leaf angle provided not only effective markers for molecular marker-assisted selection of density-resistant ideal plant type in maize,but also important genetic resources for corn higher yield molecular breeding through improving the population photosynthetic efficiency.