Location: Plant Science Research
Project Number: 6070-21220-017-004-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2020
End Date: Jul 31, 2025
Objective:
The overall goal of the project is to increase the genetic diversity of maize in farmer's fields through the development of agronomically superior semi-exotic germplasm. Yield and disease evaluations must be conducted in order to identify this superior germplasm, and this funding will help support these evaluations.
Approach:
North Carolina State University (NCSU) will plant yield and disease trials with seed supplied by researchers in the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit's corn project and by other collaborators. The yield trials will be planted at four locations in the state of North Carolina, and the disease evaluations at three locations in the state of North Carolina, all on NCSU/NCDA research stations. The GEM project will supply between 1000 and 1500 yield trial entries and between 75 and 150 disease trials entries per year. Yield trials will be planted with one replication per location and data will be collected for standard agronomic traits such as population density, plant and ear height, and lodging. as well as plot weight and moisture of grain at harvest. Disease trials will be planted with three replications at each location, plots will be inoculated at the appropriate growth stage, and disease ratings will be taken post-flowering. Data and germplasm will be shared between USDA-ARS, NCSU, and other collaborating members of the corn project.
