Objectives
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Objectives |
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The program objective is to improve corn for sustainable productivity and value-added profitability. Our research objectives are:
- Understand the genetic basis for tolerance and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses and to develop stress tolerant and/or resistant germplasm that facilitate production strategies that preserve the environment and reduce the effects of environmental stress. Special attention is giving to aflatoxin resistance and drought/heat tolerance.
- Introgress exotic material to increase the genetic base of germplasm used by maize breeding programs. We emphasize the characterization and combination of subtropical/tropical and temperate sources of germplasm.
- Develop maize lines and populations with improved quality and processing properties for foods, feeds and industrial products. See Food Corn.
- Develop Quality Protein Maize(QPM)lines, hybrids and populations with excellent food and feed quality, improved nutritional properties and competitive yield.
- Apply molecular techniques to study the genetics and to facilitate the selection of economical important traits in corn.
We offer training to graduate students and collaborate with plant scientists in other disciplines (pathology, cereal chemistry, molecular biology, extension, plant physiology, etc.) to ensure a multidisciplinary effort into corn improvement and diversification in student training.
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