ARS | Publication request: OLD AND NEW APPROACHES FOR INVESTIGATING GENETIC CONTROL OF C-GLYCOSYL FLAVONES IN MAIZE SILKS

Submitted to: Maize Genetics Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 14, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Our investigations into the genetic control of C-glycosyl flavones in maize silks have benefited from the availability of a diverse set of techniques, germplasm, and accumulated information. The principal focus of our research has been on the flavone maysin, which inhibits development of the corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Tools and resources that have permitted us to pursue our objectives from a variety of perspectives include: 1) A highly accurate HPLC method for quantifying maysin concentration in plant tissue. 2) A bioassay procedure for evaluating the effect of dried silks on CEW larval growth. 3) Map locations, and in some case cloned genes, of flavonoid pathway loci for use in RFLP-genotyping of segregating populations. 4) A set of tester stocks to determine functionality of alleles at flavonoid pathway loci. 5) An assortment of analysis methods and software for associating chromosome regions with phenotypic traits. 6) A wealth of published literature, from the early 1900's onward, on flavonoid pathway genetics. Examples of inferences resulting from this combination of approaches will be presented.