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E-Mail IMAGE: Researchers in China have analyzed a maize hybrid at the multi-omics level to unravel the mechanisms behind this increased hybrid vigor view more Credit: The Crop Journal The adage goes, Two is better than one. Well, that might be true for endeavors involving human heads, but when it comes to ears, hybrid maize tends to have a superior advantage over the parental stocks in most cases. This phenomenon, called hybrid vigor or heterosis, has been used by agriculturalists across ages to create higher-yielding, more resistant varieties of maize all over the world. But what are the factors contributing to the increased hybrid vigor of maize? Several different genetic models have been proposed to explain heterosis in varied crops including maize, but none have hitherto been able to comprehensively unravel the mystery of heterosis. ....