The invention relates to the technical field of
plant genetic engineering, in particular to a ZmbHLH166
gene related to
drought resistance in the flowering stage of corn, an encoding
protein and application of the ZmbHLH166
gene. The key effect of the ZmbHLH166
gene in the
drought resistance of the corn in the flowering period is identified for the first time on the basis of
whole genome association analysis (GWAS) and transgenic function
verification, and through experiments, through genetic transformation and continuous
selfing screening of a Ubi1: ZmbHLH166 overexpression vector, the obtained T2-generation corn strain of the overexpression ZmbHLH166 gene has the advantages that compared with a
wild type corn strain, the yield is increased, and the yield is increased. The ZmbHLH166 gene has a shorter
pollen scattering-
spinning interval, which indicates that under
drought stress, the overexpression of the ZmbHLH166 gene can effectively promote the synchronous development of male and female flowers of corn, thereby enhancing the
drought resistance of crops. Therefore, the application of the ZmbHLH166 gene and the
protein coded by the ZmbHLH166 gene in regulating and controlling the drought resistance of the corn in the flowering period is feasible, and a new and reliable gene resource and an improvement direction are provided for drought-resistant breeding of the corn.