The objective of this study was to evaluate Maize (Zea mays L.) elite lines currently available in CIMMYT's lowland tropical breeding program in Latin America under multiple abiotic stresses and identify lines with tolerance to drought, N deficiency, and combined heat and drought stress (HTDS). An incomplete line‐by‐tester design was used to evaluate 436 testcrosses under nonstressed conditions, 507 under N deficiency, 417 under drought stress (DS), and 368 under HTDS in 30 season‐by‐location combinations between 2012 and 2015. Elite lines CLRCY016, CML269, CML550, and CML551 performed well across all conditions, while CLQRCWQ118, CLWN306, and CML576 showed good performance under DS and N deficiency. CML574 was tolerant to DS and HTDS. Moreover, CML550 and CML574 are known for their partial tolerance to maize lethal necrosis. Grain yield measured under DS was to some extent predictive of attainable grain yield under N‐deficient conditions (r = 0.65; P < 0.01) and HTDS (r = 0.54; P < 0.01) as indicated by the correlation across treatments. The fact that only a few lines were tolerant across treatments re‐emphasizes the need to separately screen germplasm under each abiotic stress. Based on high best linear unbiased predicted general combining ability (BLUP GCA), it will be possible to develop hybrids tolerant to multiple abiotic stresses without incurring any yield penalty under nonstressed conditions using these inbred lines.

Zinc deficiency poses a significant health challenge worldwide, particularly in regions where access to and the affordability of dietary diversity are limited. This research article presents a time course analysis of kernel development on the zinc content in maize kernels with different genetic backgrounds, including normal maize, quality protein maize, and high-zinc maize, grown at two locations. Zn concentrations during stage I were high, decreasing between stages II and IV and increasing during stages V to VII. High-zinc kernel genotypes, including those ones with high-quality protein genetic backgrounds, have higher contents of zinc and iron during the milky stage (fresh/green maize). The zinc and iron content in fresh maize differed depending on the genotype. By consuming fresh maize biofortified with zinc, up to 89% and 100% of EAR needs can be fulfilled for pregnant women and children. The results demonstrate that fresh high-zinc maize accumulates a substantial amount of this micronutrient, highlighting its potential as a valuable source for addressing zinc deficiency.