Reproductive failure in maize has long been studied in plant science. Now, for the first time, it has been quantitatively synthesized. Maize is the most important food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and is a key Asian crop. By 2050 the demand for maize in the developing world is expected to double, while yields are expected to decline due

Parsimony and biological reality are often seen as antagonistic goals in plant modelling. Hammer and colleagues argue that isn’t always the case, and combining the two approaches could bring benefits to scientists as well as plants. Plant modelling is speeding up crop improvement by testing outcomes in silico, but how can these models be made more effective? Some argue for more