The author comments on the study "Expression of Trehalose-6-Phosphate Phosphatase in Maize Ears Improves Yield in Well-Watered and Drought Conditions" published in the journal "Nature Biotechbnology" in 2015. Topics discussed include the trehalose biosynthesis in plants, the effect of spatiotemporal regulation of a transgene on phenotypic outcome, and the molecular and genetic underpinnings of trehalose 6-phosphate.