Effects of Atmospheric CO(2) Levels on the Susceptibility of Maize to Diverse Pathogens.

Maize (Zea mays L.) grown at 550 ppm CO2 shows altered pathogen susceptibility, with increased vulnerability to sugarcane mosaic virus and unchanged susceptibility to Puccinia sorghi and Pythium sylvaticum.

• Why it matters: Elevated CO2 can reshape plant–pathogen interactions in C3 plants, but its effects on C4 immunity and disease development in maize remain insufficiently examined.
• What they did: Maize grown under ambient CO2 (420 ppm) versus elevated CO2 (550 ppm) was challenged with bacterial, viral, fungal, and oomycete pathogens, including sugarcane mosaic virus, Clavibacter nebraskensis, Exserohilum turcicum, Colletotrichum graminicola, Puccinia sorghi, and Pythium sylvaticum.
• The result: Elevated CO2 increased susceptibility to sugarcane mosaic virus, decreased susceptibility to Clavibacter nebraskensis, Exserohilum turcicum, and Colletotrichum graminicola, and left susceptibility unchanged for Puccinia sorghi and Pythium sylvaticum; reduced susceptibility to C. nebraskensis was linked to enhanced basal immune responses.

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