Maize genome offers hope of improved varieties

Photo credit: Physorg.com

Scientists have sequenced the genome of maize, providing data for plant breeders around the world aiming to improve maize varieties in the face of hunger and climate change.

Published today (20 November) in Science, the research will not only have far-reaching effects on the development of new maize and other cereal crops but also represents a major scientific accomplishment, say researchers.

The genome sequence of a variety of maize called B73 was deciphered by more than 150 scientists under lead researcher Patrick Schnable, based at Iowa State University in the United States. They identified more than 32,000 genes.

The research is "a milestone in genetics and plant biology", wrote Catherine Feuillet, a senior scientist at the cereals unit of France's National Institute of Agronomic Research, in an accompanying perspective article.

Read the whole story: SciDev Net