The physical structure of corn plants—including the angle of leaves bending from the stem and the number of pollen-laden tassel branches—makes a big difference for yield. Compact plants can be planted closer together, adding up to more ears per acre. But compact corn didn’t happen by accident; years of hybrid breeding did that. Now, two new genome-based studies are making it possible to precisely adjust corn architecture to meet future demands. The physical structure of corn plants—including the angle of leaves bending from the stem and the number of pollen-laden tassel branches—makes a big difference for yield. Compact plants can be planted closer together, adding up to more ears per acre. But compact corn didn’t happen by accident; years of hybrid breeding did that. Now, two new genome-based studies are making it possible to precisely adjust corn architecture to meet future demands. Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories
Key genes for corn architecture revealed, identifying future breeding targets
