Abstract

Background and Aims As a globally essential food crop, the flowering time of Zea mays is fundamental to its reproductive development, yield formation, and adaptation to various agro-climatic conditions. Concurrently, drought represents a critical environmental factor that significantly limits maize yields worldwide. The AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily is widely recognized for its crucial roles in regulating both developmental processes, such as seed development, plant height, flowering, and plant responses to abiotic stresses including drought, high temperature, low temperature. The Dehydration Responsive Element Binding protein (DREB) subfamily is a member of the AP2/ERF transcription factor family. In this study, we analyzed the function of the ZmDREB53 gene and elucidated its dual roles in the regulation of flowering and drought tolerance. Therefore, this study aims to systematically investigate the function of ZmDREB53 in two key aspects: the control of flowering time and the enhancement of drought tolerance, thereby addressing the significant knowledge gap surrounding this gene. Methods In this study, a multi-layered analysis of phenotypic and physiological indices was performed on transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants, with systematic evaluation of their performance in growth, physiological, and yield-related traits. For growth and developmental traits, the number of flower buds, petal length, and silique length were determined in Wild-Type (WT) and overexpressing A. thaliana at the flowering stage. On 1/2 MS medium under mannitol-simulated drought stress, seed germination rates of the two A. thaliana lines were recorded after 6 days of treatment; primary root length and root hair density were measured following 18 days of treatment. Under normal growth conditions and after 20 days of natural drought stress, superoxide anion (O₂ ⁻ ) was detected via nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) staining. Combined with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) stainin