Climate Change Threatens Maize Production: Mitigating Heat Stress Impacts on Grain Filling

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital crop for global food security (FAO, 2021). As populations increase and climate change continues, the importance of ensuring food security has become increasingly urgent (Lobell et al., 2011; Schauberger et al., 2017; IPCC 2021). Climate warming is causing more frequent and severe heat stress incidents, which pose a significant risk to crop production (Ben-Air et al., 2018; Kang et al., 2018; Waldhoff et al., 2020; Jägermeyr et al., 2021). Grain weight, a critical factor in grain yield formation, is sensitive to temperature change (Gallagher et al., 1976). Developing robust adaptation and management strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate warming during the reproductive stage, particularly for grain filling, is crucial (Challinor et al., 2016).