Our study used results retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) full-text database and from the Web of Science core collections database. We applied bibliometric methods and CiteSpaceCiteSpace knowledge map visualization to the dataset to identify the research characteristics of this fieldlatent relationships between research progress in maize stress mechanisms domestically and abroad. This analysis offers researchers a new perspective on active areas of development by highlighting research similarities and differences across regions.

Through analysis, it is found that the number of relevant literatures in this field shows an overall trend of fluctuation and increase. Therefore, it can be inferred that the trend of development in this field is still on the rise, and it has a sustainable development prospectOur analysis shows that the number of publications in this field has increased in recent years, suggesting the field is still developing and offers prospects for novel research. The research results of international authoritative literatures show that the development of this field has presented the trend of interdisciplinary. Enzymology, genomics and other related methods have been combined with traditional plant physiology research methods, covering all aspects of corn growth and planting in terms of research content, including related environmental improvement, soil research, cell internal physiological mechanism and other aspects of comprehensive research. At the same time, domestic research still focuses on the relationship between various physiological indexes of maize and salt stress conditions, which is different from international research hotspots.Related analysis of authoritative papers collected from Web of Science shows that, at the international level, maize stress research reflects increasingly interdisciplinary activity. For example, interdisciplinary technologies such as enzymology and genomics have been actively combined with traditional plant science research methods to strengthen maize plants and improve growth. Similarly, studies of maize’s physiological mechanisms explore detailed interdisciplinary explanations such as the effects of improved environment, soil and mechanism inside maize cells. These studies have yielded comprehensive results and generative avenues for future research. In contrast to international research trends, domestic research remains largely focused on the relationship between distinct physiological indicators of maize itself and their stress conditions.