Location: Plant Introduction Research
Project Number: 5030-21000-074-004-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2024
End Date: Jul 31, 2025
Objective:
Phenotypically evaluate early generation introgression populations (tropical x temperate) produced by the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Project in a day-length neutral environment for flowering time. Identify populations with enhanced agronomics for use within the GEM Project. Tropical parents of populations containing desirable agronomic traits but possess later flowering will be considered candidates for gene-editing, resulting in a wider germplasm base for use within GEM.
Approach:
Within the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Project late flowering has consistently plagued the breeding populations within GEM, as exotic corn is predominantly an obligate short-day plant. Since these breeding populations generally have a common exotic parent, diversity of the breeding populations used in GEM are being limited by this problem. To overcome this, and increase the diversity available in corn germplasm in the United States the examination of different environments need to be performed. By growing these populations in a
short-day tropical environment, the effects of photoperiod are removed. This allows for the agronomic evaluation (of these populations. Individuals from these populations exhibiting characteristics desired in the Midwest Corn-Belt can then be selected and screened. With this understanding, a gene editing approach can be incorporated for the selected lines to eliminate the effects of the late flowering genes.
