Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

NCCC167 Summary Report The objectives of NCCC167 are to 1) generate novel and well-adapted corn germplasm, 2) provide a forum to raise awareness of plant breeding, 3) create a platform for continual communication about plant breeding research and genetic technology, and, 4) help educate future plant breeders. To these ends, NCCC167 holds an annual meeting to which we invite a wide array of researchers, from both public and private sectors, to discuss our activities and review the science of our discipline. In 2007, we held our meeting in conjunction with the Maize Genetics meeting at Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, IL on March 21-22. Approximately 75-100 people attended. The formal program of presentations is available at http://corn2.agron.iastate.edu/ncr167/. The individual research institutions that make up NCCC167 also provide a summary of their activities as part of our activities. These reports follow below. NCCC167 University of Minnesota Report - Rex Bernardo My mission at the University of Minnesota is (i) to discover new ways of breeding corn, (ii) to breedcorn for new uses, and (iii) to educate future plant breeders. My current research focuses on exploiting cheap and abundant molecular markers in corn breeding; corn performance in conventional versus organic production systems; dwarf corn and high-sucrose corn; and breeding corn for both grain yield and stover quality for cellulosic ethanol. My work involves theoretical research, computer simulation, molecular marker analysis, or field experimentation. I advise graduate students, serve on graduate committees, and teach two graduate courses. In 2006, we conducted research (with Dr. Jianming Yu, Kansas State University) on the prospects of genome-wide selection for complex traits in maize. Unlike traditional approaches in markerassisted selection, genome-wide selection does not require the identification of markers with significant effects on the trait. In simulation studies, we found that the response to genome-wide selection was 1843% larger than the response to marker-assisted selection. We consider this an important finding, and we are planning to empirically compare genome-wide selection and marker-assisted selection. We also conducted (with Dr. Craig Sheaffer, University of Minnesota) the second (and last) year of our dwarf corn trials. Results from 2005 indicated that, compared with conventional corn, dwarf corn is 10 percentage points drier at harvest but is about 50% lower in grain yield. Dwarf corn has 10% higher predicted dairy-cattle milk yield per ton of stover, but 40% lower milk yield per hectare. We are currently analyzing the multi-environment data from these experiments. We evaluated the potential of corn as a sugar crop in field trials. Initial results indicated new and old maize hybrids vary in their sugar content in stalk juice. We began developing the source code for QTL Miner, a computer program useful detecting genes for quantitative traits from data routinely generated in breeding programs for self-pollinated crops. Dindo Tabanao finished his Ph.D. studies on genetic variance in breeding populations formed from small numbers of parents. I continue to advise and direct the research of three graduate students: Robenzon Lorenzana (Philippines), Choo-Kien Wong (Malaysia), and Patricio Mayor (Argentina). NCCC167 North Dakota State University Report - Marcelo J. Carena The goal of the corn-breeding program at NDSU is to conduct research in basic and applied corn breeding for the northern Corn Belt emphasizing germplasm adaptation and improvement, inbred line and population development, and hybrid testing as well as training the next generation of plant breeders. Specific objectives are: 1) Identify elite exotic genetic materials for adaptation, 2) Maximize genetic improvement of corn germplasm adapted to North Dakota, 3) Develop early maturing maize inbred lines and populations for northern U.S., 4) Coordinate hybrid maize performance testing trials, 5) Assess profitable alternatives (e.g. corn-ethanol relationship) 6) Train the next generation of breeders Breeding for Local Adaptation: Local adaptation is essential for ND environmental challenges. These environmental challenges are mainly the short period between killing frosts, the limited heat supply, and the limited rainfall. Therefore, grain quality, test weight, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, early seedling vigor, uniform emergence in cold soils, dry down, and early maturity are very important characteristics essential to a ND hybrid (as evident as grain yield). Our program has focused toward these farmer goals especially in 2006. We develop elite populations, inbreds, and their respective hybrids. We had about 40 requests for germplasm from other public and private programs last year, mainly inbred lines due to fast dry down, early maturity, good performance and quality, and because of new sources of genetic diversity within early maturing germplasm. We currently have four full-sib reciprocal recurrent selection programs that address the creation of new heterotic patterns for the region and are a consequence of the extensive testing performed for choice of germplasm. NDBSK(HI-M)C3, NDBS11(FR-M)C3, and NDBS1011 were adapted and released as improved germplasm sources for development of inbred parents for early maturity and high yielding corn hybrids and as elite parents for early maturing maize population hybrids (see 2007 NCCC167 release note). Other tropical and late temperate elite populations are under adaptation and extensive testing as well. In 2006, we continued our research devoted to germplasm adaptation with GEM material in the northern Corn Belt. AR16026:S17-66-1-B (coded as GEM21) derived lines, adapted through the incorporation of elite early-maturing line ND2000, were test crossed to LH176 and to a coded Bt commercial tester from Syngenta representing the Iodent heterotic group. Six-year efforts of adaptation are yielding several adapted lines with better yield and agronomic performance than popular hybrid Pioneer 39D82. During this season, we have maintained our four full-sib reciprocal recurrent selection programs involving BS21, BS22, NDSAB, Leaming, CGSS, and CGL derived early-maturing populations after creating new heterotic patterns. We have continued our intra-population recurrent selection efforts for germplasm improvement on populations that have demonstrated good potential for inbred line development. Non-transgenic Approaches to Drought Tolerance: Corn is still limited in its west extension due to significant environmental challenges, mainly drought. The main economic benefit to the farmer and industry in this state continues to be the current availability of productive early-maturing lines with high starch under abiotic stresses, a priority within the NDSU corn breeding program. Results so far indicate that over 700 ND lines (out of 3,500) have a large potential of transmitting drought tolerance to their hybrids and these were produced in our 2006 summer nursery. Efforts have been initiated to understand the mechanisms of polygenic effects involved in drought tolerance by annually testing over 4,000 genotypes (early generation inbreds and hybrids) through non-transgenic approaches, a complementary approach to industry. Grain Quality: Following an award from the state Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) we have initiated the screening of germplasm for grain quality traits for the development of corn hybrids specific for processing and ethanol utilization. Currently, 20% of our germplasm is being evaluated for grain quality with a long-term target to evaluate all of it. Our corn breeding program has continued its focus on the development of very early-maturing inbred lines reducing the risks associated with late planting, early frost, and low grain quality. Extensive testing across locations have shown that some early-maturing hybrids (in cooperation with certain industries) are similar in grain yield and lodging performance, above average test weight (~3 lb/Bu) and below average grain moisture at harvest (~40 g kg-1) compared to dominant commercial corn hybrids available in ND. Mating design studies including reciprocal crosses have evaluated not only combining ability effects but also maternal and reciprocal effects. Most traits, including endosperm-related traits, have not shown significant maternal and reciprocal effects. Disease Resistance: Two segregating populations (F2:3 families) derived from the crosses of ND284 (susceptible) x B100 (resistant) and ND284 x B37 (resistant) were evaluated. A total of 22 QTL(s) were discovered for eyespot resistance across all maize chromosomes (with major effects on chromosome 8) except chromosome 9. The total percentage of the phenotypic variation explained for eyespot resistance differed among traits and populations ranging from 16.1 to 70.1%. This research shows the difficulty of the practical significance of performing marker-assisted selection of QTL(s) and real quantitative traits with minor effects, especially those QTL(s) that were not repeatable across populations. Standard errors, false positives, and power of QTL detection have limited our efforts on QTL studies. Inbred Line Development: Extensive data was generated from the 2006 field tests across 15 locations with the purpose to determine the relative effectiveness of selection studies for developing new early-maturing genotypes that can be used either in hybrids or as germplasm in pedigree selection programs. In my judgment, two of the new inbred lines seem promising for use as parents for 70 to 85RM hybrids while four new inbred lines seem promising for use as parents for 85 to 95RM hybrids (See NCCC-167 release note). Our early maturing hybrid trials included 10 experiments grown at three to 15 locations testing over 1,000 ND hybrids at early and late generation stages for yield, maturity, stand ability, and test weight performance. Twenty-three new and early maturing ND experimental lines are at final stages for potential release in the fall of 2008. Meanwhile, 65 new and early ND experimental lines were selected for further testing and release potential in 2009. Graduate Students: In the past eight years the NDSU corn breeding program has trained an average of one student per year. All of them without exception were hired by industry (Monsanto, Pioneer), USDA, NDSU, and University of Delaware. Half of the Plant Science Ph.D. graduates in 2006 came from our program. Four graduate students (2 Ph.D. and 2 MS) and one visiting scientist (Corn Breeding Director at LAAS, Shenyang, China) were trained in our breeding program during 2006. NCCC167 2006 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Report - Ken Russell In the corn breeding/quantitative genetics program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, there are two broad goals: 1) evaluation of improved breeding/testing procedures, and 2) development of improved corn germplasm, with special emphasis on novel germplasm in terms of background and/or traits. Currently I have five projects--two under goal 1, two under goal 2, and one that falls under both goals. Evaluation of crossover interactions (goal 1). Crossover interactions are a special type of genotype x environment interaction that occurs when the performance ranking of cultivars change across environments. My long-term objectives are to determine the frequency and distribution of crossover interactions in multi-environmental trials across the central U.S. Corn Belt and eventually to identify the specific environmental variables and/or genes that contribute to these interactions. In 2005, the following steps were taken in this project: i) Data from 2 multi-environmental wheat trials (one in Nebraska and one in the south-central United States). In the Nebraska trial, the occurrence of crossover interactions was significant but the distribution of these interactions did not support the development of wheat cultivars for local adaptation. Crossover interactions occurred less frequently in the south-central evaluation. In both evaluations, the frequency of crossover interactions did not appear to be associated with differences in average yield level between environments; ii) Analysis of data from a national corn trial was initiated and is on-going; iii) A 3-year evaluation of a 20 elite corn hybrids at multiple locations was initiated. In most existing databases the same hybrids are not analyzed across years. This limits to a degree what can be learned from these databases. This evaluation was initiated to generate a database that would not have this limitation. Corn breeding for farmers (goal 1): Farmers have long had an interest in corn breeding and some continue to attempt to develop their own cultivars for their personal use rather than purchasing seed from a commercial seed company. I initiated a program three years ago to train a group of 20 farmers and simultaneously to evaluate a testing protocol these farmers could use on their own farms that is based on these modern principles. In essence, the program was based on replicated, single-plant plots (hereafter referred to as microplots) that are hand-planted and hand-harvested. Such trials were conducted at eight locations using S1 topcrosses (the S1s were from a broad-based population), and these trials were compared to two-row x 20-foot replicated plots that are the standard used in the seed industry. Based on the probability of greater F-values from within location analyses for the differences among topcrosses, there was no indication that the data from the microplots and the standard plots differed in precision. Based on broad-sense heritability, there was some suggestion that two replications of data from standard plots were slightly superior to two replications of microplot data, but any advantage disappeared when the number of replications for the microplot protocol was increased from two to six. Correlations of topcross performance for all pairs of locations showed on average that two random microplot trials were not any more similar to each other than either was to a standard plot trial. However, when performances of specific topcrosses were compared, there was a suggestion that taller topcrosses may have done better in the microplot trials because of competitive effects. Development of red- and blue-colored germplasms (goal 2). Blue and red corns currently are of interest in producing human food products, such as colored tortilla chips. In the relatively near future, these corns may gain more public interest because of recent evidence that suggests multiple health benefits from the anthocyanins that are responsible for the red and blue color. My approach is to develop two heterotic blue populations and two heterotic red populations and eventually to develop commercially acceptable inbreds and single-cross hybrids from these materials. Initial populations were formed from multiple open-pollinated sources and some non-colored elite germplasm in 2005 and 2006. Mass and family selection within populations will be initiated in 2007. Release of even the populations is not expected for at least several years. Develop of hi-row number Stiff Stalk and non-Stiff Stalk populations (goal 2). This project was initiated in 2006 based on the SYN 1 and SYN 2 populations developed by Don Shaver. In both populations, the sources of the hi-row number trait were the pi1 and pi2 duplicate factors from the open-pollinated varieity, Country Gentleman. For numerous cycles, Shaver introgressed Stiff Stalk (SYN 1) or Lancaster (SYN 2) lines into the populations, followed by mass selection for the hi-row number characteristic. I plan to continue this work. In 2007, my intention is to cross selected ears from SYN 1 to (LH119 x PHG39) and selected ears of SYN 2 to (LH51 x PHG35). Improve a population with high potential to improve yield of Corn Belt germplasm and investigate the components of high yield (goals 1 and 2). In 2000 and 2001, I formed a population by intermating in approximately equal percentages six populations that had been identified by Dudley et al. (1996) as having high potential to improve the yield of elite Corn Belt germplasm. The genetic make-up of this population is >60% non-Corn Belt material, but based on occurrence of flowering it is well-adapted to Lincoln, Nebraska. The base population was called NEL_00, and for four cycles it has been mass selected for grain yield at 37,000 plants/acre (NEL[MHD], mass high density) and at 7000 plants/acre (NEL[MLD], mass low density). In both selection regimes, inputs are very high to maximize yield response. Only non-lodged plants are selected. The two yield components that are of interest are 1) the maximum yield per plant when there is essentially unlimited inputs within practical limits (i.e., high nitrogen, no water stress, very little plant-to-plant competition for light and C02), and 2) the rate at which this yield declines as the plant density increases. The low-density selection is selection for the first of these components only. The high-density selection is selection for both components. In 2006, the fourth cycle of mass selection in both NEL[MHD] and NEL[MLD] was completed. With the high inputs, high yields have been observed in each of the years of selection. In 2006, the mean yield of NEL[MHD]_04 was 138 bushels per acre and the mean yield of the 12 selected plants used to form the next cycle was 229 bushels/acre. The comparable mean yields of NEL[MLD]_04 were 117 and 288 bushels/acre. Evaluation of modifications to both yield components in both populations was initiated in 2006 and will be continued in each future year. Changing the method of selection from population per se to topcross selection beginning in 2008 is under consideration. NCCC167 University of Wisconsin Report  James G. Coors The corn breeding/genetics program at the University of Wisconsin involves research with both grain and silage germplasm. Our research focuses on germplasm and technology development for improving yield and nutritional quality of silage corn, as well as creating suitable germplasm for energy biofeedstock development. Current projects receiving the most attention are listed below. Germplasm and Technology Development for Improved Yield and Nutritional Value for Silage: The UW corn breeding program has unique germplasm, the Wisconsin Quality Synthetic (WQS), specifically designed to produce high-quality inbreds for use as parents for silage hybrids. The WQS synthetic is continuously improved using a S2-testcross recurrent selection breeding method, and inbreds derived from succeeding cycles of improvement will be developed to the S6 stage and released (See http://www.silagebreeding.agronomy.wisc.edu/). The nutritional improvements characteristic of WQS germplasm are low neutral detergent fiber (NDF), high in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), high NDF digestibility (NDFD), and low lignin concentration. We are in the fourth cycle of selection, and in 2006 we evaluated 101 new S2 and S3 testcrosses with inbred LH244. In 2007, the 20 top-performing S2 families will be recombined to create WQS C4. In 2006, we continued our breeding effort for the GEM Quality Synthetic (GQS), developed from GEM breeding populations. Since GQS is approximately 75% Stiff Stalk, inbred lines from GQS may well produce silage hybrids with high forage yield as well as superior nutritional quality when crossed to inbred lines from WQS, which is a non-Stiff Stalk breeding population. We will continue breeding GQS using the same S2-testcross system used for WQS. In 2006, we evaluated 73 S2 families crossed to W604S. In 2007, the 20 top-performing S2 families will be recombined to create GQS C1. Starch Utilization by Ruminants: The primary aim of this research is to improve the utilization of corn grain and silage by dairy cattle through evaluation of starch and endosperm characteristics that influence ruminal starch degradation and the development of corn hybrids with increased starch digestibility. We are using near-isogenic lines for fl2 and o2 genes in the Oh43 and W64A inbred backgrounds. These genes may produce a less dense endosperm than normal, which may influence starch degradability. We also evaluated testcrosses involving 75+ inbreds from the GEM project and WQS for kernel hardness and vitreousness. We have also completed a QTL study of starch degradation using genetic materials that have been developed by Dr. Javier Betran, Texas A & M University for a study of kernel hardness (flint versus dent) and pest resistance (Aspergillus flavus). These materials include ~140 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), which are inbred lines derived from the cross B73o2 x CML161. B73o2 is a soft-kernel inbred line expressing the o2 mutation. CML161 also contains the o2 mutation, but CML161 was selected during its development for hard, vitreous kernels as part of CIMMYTs Quality Protein Maize project. One-hundred and forty o2 recombinant inbred lines have been evaluated for starch degradabilities in a ruminal in situ evaluation. We are in the process of completing the QTL mapping. Biofeedstock Development: This project addresses needs for corn stover feedstock development through an integrated multidisciplinary approach. The collaboration includes Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Pennsylvania, the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center, and the USDA Corn Insect and Crop Genetics Research Unit along with several industry partners. Research teams are focused on plant breeding and crop physiology, harvest and storage technologies, and systems integration. The overall objectives of this project are to: 1) develop innovative harvesting and storage technologies to efficiently and economically move maize stover from the field to the factory gate; 2) identify genetic varieties of maize with specific properties attractive for biobased industries and initiate a breeding program to enhance those properties; and 3) evaluate and optimize these systems for economic and environmental sustainability. In 2006, we continued our evaluation of 50 hybrids from a variety of sources for ethanol production potential and demonstrated that there are significant genotypic differences among hybrids for most characteristics related to ethanol production potential. NCCC167 Iowa State University and USDA/ARS Report  M. Paul Scott The corn breeding program at Iowa State University involves germplasm enhancement and basic research on quantitative genetic aspects of corn breeding. The focus of this work is on agronomic traits and grain quality traits of economic importance including starch and oil properties and nutritional value. Activities include adaptation of tropical germplasm and developing populations with utility in genomic studies. State-wide corn yield tests are carried out and results are available to the public. Development of corn with altered amino acid content. Mass selection is being used to develop divergent populations containing high or low levels of nutritionally limiting amino acids in grain. The fifth cycle of selection for tryptophan and methionine was carried out this year and the first cycle of selection for lysine was completed. These divergent populations will be valuable resources for genomic studies of amino acid accumulation and for breeding projects with the objective of developing nutritionally improved varieties. In addition, work to produce QPM (quality protein maize) based on the opaque2 (o2) mutation progressed. By crossing elite public inbreds to CIMMYT QPM varieties, we developed breeding populations segregating for the o2 gene as well as endosperm hardness modifiers. The second generation of self pollination with selection for agronomic performance, amino acid balance and grain quality was completed. Finally, we continued to screen GEM lines for unusual amino acid balance. We have identified lines that are suitable for use in amino acid breeding programs. Improving corn stover as a biofuel feedstock. This is a collaborative project involving Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin, Penn State University, The USDA Dairy Forage Research Center and the USDA Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit. The overall objective of this work is to develop an integrated system for use of corn stover as a biofuel feedstock. Our part of this project involved establishing the feasibility of producing varieties with improved feedstock characteristics through breeding and initiating a breeding program to accomplish this. We carried out a field trial to evaluate 50 varieties predicted to have a range of values as biofuel feedstocks. The objective of this work was to Biomass yield and moisture at harvest was determined. We developed a high-throughput assay to measure suitability for biofuel production and used this assay together with other methods to predict the suitability of entries in the experiment for biofuel production. Preliminary analysis of the data from this experiment suggests that it should be possible to produce varieties with improved utility for a biofuel feedstock. The material produced in this experiment is proving valuable for developing and comparing methods for predicting the efficiency of conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuel. NCCC-167 University of Illinois Report - Martin Bohn Our objectives are to: 1) Improve grain yield and value-added traits of corn; 2) Improve agronomic characteristics of corn including resistance to disease and pests; 3) Provide educational opportunities for students that prepare them for careers in plant breeding, genetics, and plant pathology; 4) Provide continuing educational opportunities for commercial corn breeders. The Illinois Maize Breeding and Genetics Laboratory (IMBGL) organized the 42th Illinois Corn Breeders School held in Urbana, Illinois, March 6-7, 2006. Three sessions covered Maize Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Applied Genetics, and Insect Resistance Traits. The table of contents and the attendance lists of the 2006 Corn Breeders Schools are available at the IMBGL internet site at http://imbgl.cropsci.uiuc.edu/school/program2006.htm. One location of the 700-800 hybrid trial was grown by the University of Illinois in Urbana. In collaboration with Dr. E. Bucklers group (USDA-ARS, Cornell) a set of 6,000 recombinant inbred lines derived from crosses between 25 core diversity lines and inbred B73 were evaluated for a comprehensive set of morphological characteristics and agronomic traits. This data will be used to identify quantitative trait loci by combining QTL and association mapping approaches. The International Plant Breeding Symposium was held in Mexico City, 20-25 August 2006, honoring Dr. J. Dudley, Professor emeritus of Plant Genetics at the University of Illinois and inaugural holder of the Renessen Endowed Chair in Corn Quality Trait Breeding and Genetics. Research results of the Illinois corn breeding and genetics group, including new findings on maize host plant resistance to western corn rootworm larvae feeding, maize root complexity, and cell wall composition, maize tassel and ear architecture, as well as kernel quality, including starch, protein, oil, and vitamin contents, were presented at several national and international conferences, including the Maize Genetics Conference (Asilomar, CA, March 2006), the Symposium on Sustainable Bioenergy  Focus on the Future of Biofuels and Chemicals (Urbana, IL, April 13-14, 2006, http://www.sustainablebioenergy.uiuc.edu/presenters.html), the International Plant Breeding Conference (Mexico City, Mexico, August, ), the International Conference of the EUCARPIA Maize and Sorghum Section (Budapest, Hungary, June 20-25, 2006), and the International Working Group of Ostrinia and other Maize Pests - A Global IOBC Working Group (Vienna, Austria, November 5-8, 2006). The maize breeding program has currently five PhD students and one MSc student. This group of students is very international with students from India, Korea, Portugal and the USA. Dr. E. Nunes from the University of Porto, Portugal, joint the Illinois Maize Group as a visiting scientist. During her three month stay Dr. Nunes worked on assessing the genotypic diversity of elite U.S. maize inbreds. NCCC-167 Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Report - Rich Pratt The OSU maize breeding and genetics program focuses on improvement of maize germplasm for resistance to infection by pathogenic agents causing foliar disease. Research is also conducted to examine compositional traits as they relate to grain quality characteristics suitable for food, feed, and industrial end-uses. Collaborative research is undertaken in projects involving molecular genetics and breeding for organic production systems. IPM-CRSP Project - Verification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) Conferring Resistance to Multiple Foliar Pathogens of Maize and their Utility for Marker-Assisted Selection: The project was concluded and the former graduate advisee (Dr. Asea Godfrey) is now employed as a maize breeder with the National Agricultural Research Organization in Uganda. We were able to demonstrate that four of the six consensus QTL conferring resistance to the causal agents of northern corn leaf blight, maize streak, and gray leaf spot could be used for marker-assisted selection in early generations. Narrow-sense heritability estimates were 0.22, 0.25 and 0.39 for MSV, NCLB and GLS, respectively. Analysis of gene action using orthogonal contrasts showed mostly dominant gene action for QTL for all three diseases. The QTL confirmed in this study should affect genetic gain if used as target QTL in a marker-based or marker-assisted breeding program. The progress and costs of these procedures will be compared to determine the highest gain through selection, on a cost basis. Breeding lines with high levels of resistance were intercrossed to begin pyramiding resistance genes and crosses of these lines were made to QPM stocks. Maize Breeding: Grain samples from diverse breeding populations were evaluated for compositional traits using near infro-red transmittance spectroscopy. Observed compositional values (at 15% mois. basis) were as follows: protein 7.8  15.6%, oil 2.9  5.5%, and starch 55 to 65%. Performance evaluations were conducted with testcrosses between OSU breeding lines obtained from a GEM Golden Queen/Non- Reid Yellow Dent population and Iowa Stiff-Stalk Synthetic (BSSS) and Corn Borer Synthetic testers. Selfing and test-cross production continued in other populations. Other specialty product breeding programs are continuing. One testing site near the OARDC is now in transition to organic certification. Unfavorable seasonal conditions were experienced in 2006 field tests in Wooster. Corn Redness Syndrome: Research was conducted on an unidentified, but economically important, disease of maize in cooperation with scientists from the Institute for Plant Protection and the Environment in Zemun, Serbia. It was determined that the disease is caused by the Stolbur phytoplasma and it is transmitted by a planthopper which apparently has undergone a host-shift. The disease was named maize redness in following with the typical observed symptom (reddening of the mid-vein followed by broader reddening of the leaves. Research will continue to further elucidate the epidemiology so that effective integrated pest management procedures may be established. Diagnostic procedures necessary to detect the pathogen are being explored. NCCC167 University of Missouri and USDA/ARS Report - Sherry Flint-Garcia Maize research at the in Columbia Missouri (USDA ARS and University of Missouri) is primarily genetic in nature. Although there is currently no active corn breeding program, several programs have applied projects that require large-scale field trials. These include Mike McMullen (USDA ARS), Sherry Flint-Garcia (USDA ARS), Bruce Hibbard (USDA ARS), and Georgia Davis (University of Missouri, Plant Sciences). Mike McMullen investigates how selection has shaped molecular diversity in maize, and relates molecular diversity to functional phenotypic variation. As part of an NSF grant entitled The Molecular and Functional Diversity of Maize, he has conducted SNP discovery on 4000 loci and, along with Jim Holland and Ed Buckler, has developed a 5000 recombinant inbred line mapping population derived from 25 inbred lines chosen to capture the greatest amount of genetic diversity. Subsequent Nested Association Mapping (NAM) will permit high-power and high-resolution genetic dissection of quantitative traits for maize. Sherry Flint-Garcia utilizes the maize domestication model to identify genes of agronomic importance. Objectives include 1) examining the impact of artificial selection on kernel protein and amino acid composition; and 2) more broadly, diversifying the genetic base of maize by utilizing landraces and teosinte, the ancestor of maize. To accomplish these objectives, she is creating introgression (or NIL) libraries of a number of teosinte and landrace accessions in the B73 background. Bruce Hibbard works on Western Corn Rootworm chemical ecology and host plant resistance, including 1) Identifying, developing and releasing corn germplasm with native resistance to the rootworm; 2) Determining the mechanism(s) of resistance and its inheritance; and 3) Investigating the biology, pest/ host interactions and chemical ecology of the rootworm, especially as they relate to resistance management. Georgia Davis conducts functional genomics of biotic and abiotic stresses: 1) Fungal resistance in maize with emphasis on mechanisms and sources of resistance to Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin production; 2) Insect resistance in maize, specifically fall armyworm and southwestern corn borer and their relationship to juvenility associated traits; and 3) Maize root architecture in relation to drought response. Other active maize researchers in Columbia include: Jim Birchler (Biological Sciences), Ed Coe (professor emeritus), Karen Cone (Biological Sciences), Toni Kazic (Bioinformatics), Gerry Neuffer (professor emeritus), Kathy Newton (Biological Sciences), Henry Nguyen (Plant Sciences), Mel Oliver (Research Leader for the ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit), and Bill Wiebold (Plant Sciences). Maize researchers at MU have been facing reductions in field space beginning last summer. Portions of South Farm (also known as Genetics Farm) have been repossessed by the University for the development of a research park. We are attempting to consolidate all maize programs at one of the two remaining facilities: Bradford Farm and Hinkson Bottom. Unfortunately, Hinkson Bottom is not large enough to accommodate everyone and still maintain a crop rotation with soybean. While Bradford Farm is large enough to accommodate us, they lack the structural facilities to store equipment and support the needs of the approximately 50 people that work the fields during peak pollination. The Maize In Missouri website (www.maizeinmissouri.org) was launched in Fall 2006 to promote collaboration among maize researchers in Missouri. Reflective of our diverse research interests, our motto is From DNA to the Field.