Criterion for nilradical of a maximal parabolic subalgebra to be abelian? This question has some overlap with previous ones but doesn't seem to have a well-documented answer.   I recall some literature (mostly involving Lie groups and hermitian symmetric pairs, etc.) which concerns maximal parabolic subalgebras of a simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ over the field $\mathbb{C}$ or related parabolic subgroups of Lie groups.   Here $\mathfrak{p}$ can be taken as standard relative to some fixed Borel subalgebra and Cartan subalgebra, with a decomposition as direct sum of a Levi subalgebra (involving all but one simple root) along with the nilradical $\mathfrak{n}$.  

In this situation, is there a necessary and sufficient criterion in the literature for $\mathfrak{n}$ to be abelian, which can then be checked easily case-by-case for the simple types?

For example, neither of the two types of maximal (=minimal) parabolic subalgebra in the Lie algebra $G_2$ turns out to have an abelian nilradical.   It's also true that $G_2$ has no minuscule highest weights for its irreducible finite dimensional representations.    
On the other hand, one of the equivalent conditions for a dominant integral weight to be (co)minuscule implies that the nilradical of the parabolic subalgebra stabilizing a highest weight vector in the corresponding representation must be abelian.    (See my previous question here for some references on minuscule weights.)    But I don't recall now exactly how precise a criterion exists in the literature for $\mathfrak{n}$ to be abelian when $\mathfrak{p}$ is maximal. 
[I was just thinking about this in connection with a newer question here which is not precisely
formulated but apparently involves a similar setting.]
ADDED: The answer (plus email) and references given are quite helpful though somewhat intertwined with Lie groups and differential geometry or algebraic groups and algebraic geometry.   I was looking for a self-contained approach via roots and weights within the traditional Lie algebra setting.  Anyway, a uniform elementary statement seems to emerge as follows.  With $\mathfrak{g}$ simple, take $\mathfrak{p}$ to be a maximal parabolic corresponding to the set of simple roots excluding $\alpha$.  Then $\mathfrak{n}$ is abelian iff $\alpha$ has coefficient 1 in the highest root, or iff $\mathfrak{p}$ is the stabilizer of a highest weight vector in the irreducible representation whose highest weight is "cominuscule" relative to $\alpha$ (involving interchange of types B, C).   (These criteria are then easy to check case-by-case.)
 A: Denote by $\mathfrak{l}$ the Levi factor of the parabolic, so that $\mathfrak{p} = \mathfrak{l} \oplus \mathfrak{n}$, and note that this is a splitting as $\mathfrak{l}$-modules.  Also denote by $\mathfrak{n}_-$ the nilradical of the opposite parabolic subalgebra; this is the dual of $\mathfrak{n}$ via the Killing form of $\mathfrak{g}$.
Here are the equivalent conditions that I know:


*

*$\mathfrak{n}$ is abelian.

*$\mathfrak{n}_-$ is abelian.

*$\mathfrak{n}$ is an irreducible representation of $\mathfrak{l}$.

*$\mathfrak{n}_-$ is an irreducible representation of $\mathfrak{l}$.

*$\mathfrak{p}$ is maximal and the simple root of $\mathfrak{g}$ that is removed from $\mathfrak{l}$ has coefficient 1 in the highest root of $\mathfrak{g}$.

*$[\mathfrak{n},\mathfrak{n}] \subseteq \mathfrak{l}$.

*$(\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{l})$ is a symmetric pair, i.e. there is an involutive Lie algebra automorphism of $\mathfrak{g}$ whose fixed-point subalgebra is precisely $\mathfrak{l}$.


Clearly condition 5 is the easiest way to check this, assuming you have handy a table of highest roots of the simple Lie algebras.  One can be found in, e.g. Table 2 in the exercises of Chapter 12 of Introduction to Lie Algebras and Representation Theory, by... well, you.
I have not seen this entire collection of equivalent criteria written up in one place, although many of them are discussed in Lemma 7.3.1 of Multiplicity-free Theorems of the Restrictions of Unitary Highest Weight Modules with respect to Reductive Symmetric Pairs, by Toshi Kobayashi.
