Author
Pollak, Linda |
Submitted to: Proceedings Plants and Animals Central American Crop Improvement Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Corn provides unique ingredients for food, feed, and industrial products. U.S. hybrids have a narrow genetic base, however, which means that they often lack variability for value-added and grain quality traits. It has been assumed that because our traditional breeding materials may not be the best source for value-added characteristics, biotechnology techniques would dbe required to develop hybrids with these characteristics. The Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Project has been using an alternate approach to successfully develop lines with value-added traits outside the range of normal Corn Belt breeding materials, early generation lines are developed and evaluated for yield, and the resulting selected lines evaluated in the laboratory for traits such as grain composition and quality. Some of the introgressed lines have traits that may have value, such as lines with 6.5% oil compared to 3-4% in Corn Belt lines. Our results suggest that by using gexotic introgression we can develop lines that will be useful breeding materials for developing hybrids with value-added grain quality. |