A groundbreaking Texas A&M AgriLife Research-led study on corn has identified useful gene variations for yield increases, drought tolerance and aflatoxin resistance that could make a real difference to Texas producers in the years to come, according to AgriLife Today.
The study, titled “Genome Wide Association Study for Drought, Aflatoxin Resistance, and Important Agronomic Traits of Maize Hybrids in the Sub-Tropics” was recently published in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication.
The study used a diverse corn association mapping panel to identify genomic regions associated with grain yield, aflatoxin resistance and important agronomic traits in southern U.S. environments. This study also was one of the first in corn to test hybrids.
“We are finding genes that can benefit temperate corn,” said Dr. Seth Murray, an AgriLife Research corn breeder in the soil and crop science department of Texas A&M University.
“We looked at a number of traits, but the best advantage was found with three genes that improved production by about 15 bushels per acre under both irrigated and dryland conditions. They seem to work synergistically.”