Our overall objective is to understand the genetic variation of maize and how it relates to phenotypic variation for important agricultural traits, with the goal of enhancing the genetic base of the U.S. corn crop.

As part of the NSF-funded project “Molecular and Functional Diversity of Maize” we are helping to develop 25 new genetic mapping populations of 200 lines each.  We will characterize these lines for quantitative traits and develop new statistical methods to detect genes affecting complex traits across multiple populations.  Seed of the lines will be deposited at the Maize Genetic Stock Center (hopefully in 2006) and genotypic and phenotypic data will be publicy released at the Panzea website.

Tropical maize flowers very late under long-day conditions that occur in summers in the U.S. Corn Belt.  This hinders the use of tropical maize for breeding temperate corn.  We have developed several new genetic mapping populations that segregate for photoperiod response and are identifying candidate genes that are also segregating in these populations to correlate candidate gene variation and phenotypic variation.

The fungus Fusarium verticilliodes infects corn ears, causing kernels to rot and producing a mycotoxin called fumonisin that harms animals and people that eat the infected grain.  We have studied the inheritance of resistance to this disease and have mapped genome regions affecting resistance.  Currently we are using classical breeding methods to introduce resistance genes into elite Corn Belt Dent maize lines.  We also cooperate with the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize program by screening advanced lines for ear rot and fumonisin contamination resistance.

Identifying Genes Affecting Maize Photoperiod Response

Multiple Population Gene Mapping

Mapping Genes for Resistance to Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contaimination

Major Research Projects

USDA-ARS Maize Breeding and Genetics at NCSU Presents: