NCCC167: Corn Breeding Research
Statement of Issues and Justification
Plant breeding is currently needed more than ever. Without plant breeding biotechnology and its techniques will never be applied to cultivars. Plant breeding is the ultimate delivery method for germplasm enhancement, development of cultivars that have consistently high quantity and quality performance across environments, and the development of sustainable low-cost alternatives to farmers or to participatory plant breeding systems. During the 20th century, corn breeders have been leaders in conducting basic and applied research to determine the more efficient and effective methods for corn improvement. Different aspects of biotechnology have assumed greater importance during the past two decades based simple traits and fully supported by federal grants. However, public plant breeders still have the task of developing superior genotypes with improved complex traits as well as training new breeders. The impacts from plant breeding are clear as they solve urgent problems of agriculture and deserve long-term funding.The number of corn breeders with the state agriculture experiment stations (SAES) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA/ARS) has declined dramatically during the past 50 years. Frey (1996) reported that 545.05 SYs were devoted to dent corn breeding: of this total, 509.75 SYs (93.5) were with private industry, 27.1 SYs (5.0) were with SAES, and 8.2 SYs (1.5) were with the USDA/ARS. Hence, 93.5 of the dent corn breeders in the United States are employed by private industry. Although only 6.5 of the corn breeders are in the public sector, they are expected 1) to conduct long-term, high-risk research to advance the frontiers of knowledge for corn improvement, and 2) to educate and train graduate students capable of conducting independent breeding programs, which are largely in the private sector (Frey, 2000).
Evaluation and enhancement of germplasm resources, genepool enhancement, and development of enhanced breeding methodologies are essential to maintain continued genetic advance of the corn products provided to the producers. These research projects are long-term, include selection of traits that are complex in their inheritance, and usually do not lead directly to development of elite lines and hybrids. Incremental genetic gains are realized over time and all available information and techniques are included to enhance our genetic resources.
Therefore, the focus of the Committee is the development and adaptation of corn germplasm to the U.S. NCR and its long-term genetic improvement. This is attained by interaction among researchers of the public and private sectors who have an interest in the theory and application of selection methods for germplasm enhancement, development of screening methods for pest resistance, types of genetic effects important in the inheritance of quantitative traits, breeding methods for development of populations, lines and their hybrids, and the interaction with biotechnology scientists who should be able to design the most appropriate biotechnologies that can be applicable to conventional breeding methods. Objectives are attained by fostering cooperative exchange of information on theoretical and applied breeding and selection methods of lines, hybrids, and germplasm, and evaluation and enhancement of germplasm resources.
Back to Top