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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410857
Research Project: Adaptation of Grain Crops to Varying Environments Including Climates, Stressors, and Human Uses

Location: Plant Genetics Research

Title: How to pollinate corn (Zea mays)

Author
item FITZSIMMONS, SARAH - University Of Missouri
item SALAZAR-VIDAL, MIRIAM NANCY - University Of Missouri
item TRAYLOR, ZACHARY - University Of Missouri System
item DRAVES, MELISSA - University Of Missouri
item Flint Garcia, Sherry

Submitted to: Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2025
Publication Date: 6/3/2025
Citation: Fitzsimmons, S.L., Salazar-Vidal, M., Traylor, Z.B., Draves, M.A., Flint Garcia, S.A. 2025. How to pollinate corn (Zea mays). Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108638.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108638

Interpretive Summary: Each year, about 90 million acres of corn are planted across the United States. Because the corn flowers are separated on the plant (the male tassel is located at top of the plant, and the female ear with its silks is located in the middle of the plant), each plant can be pollinated by themselves or with neighboring plants. This uncontrolled pollination is acceptable where the genetics of the resulting grain is generally not relevant to downstream applications such as feeding animals or industrial processing. However, corn geneticists and breeders need to know the maternal and paternal identity of their experimental corn plants, so research corn must be control-pollinated. The purpose of this protocol is to provide detailed guidelines for pollinating corn in a research setting. Manual pollination involves covering the ears before silks emerge, collecting the pollen, and applying the pollen to a specific ear. There are numerous types of manual pollinations depending on the objective of the research, and there are numerous techniques needed to accomplish these manual pollinations. This protocol will be used extensively by corn researchers, especially those new to the field of corn genetics and breeding.

Technical Abstract: Corn, or maize, is an economically important crop and frequently used model organism for genetic studies. Controlled pollinations are essential to the execution of these studies. This protocol outlines the basic steps in planning, setting up, and making manual pollinations. In addition, a method of extending pollen for multiple pollinations, as well as types of pollinations and their respective labeling schemes, are detailed. A troubleshooting guide is provided with solutions for common problems one might encounter when making manual pollinations. Although growing conditions and germplasm may cause slight deviations from this protocol, the basic principles can be applied to any corn research program.