Plant breeders face multiple global challenges that affect food security, productivity,
accessibility, and nutritional quality. One major challenge for plant breeders is developing …

Key message Intensive public sector breeding efforts and public-private partnerships have
led to the increase in genetic gains, and deployment of elite climate-resilient maize cultivars …

Research in the past decade has demonstrated that a single reference genome is not
representative of a species' diversity. MaizeGDB introduces a pan-genomic approach to …

Although hybrid crop varieties are among the most popular agricultural innovations, the
rationale for hybrid crop breeding is sometimes misunderstood. Hybrid breeding is slower …

Since the development of single-hybrid maize breeding programs in the first half of the
twentieth century, maize yields have increased over sevenfold, and much of that increase …

Single-cross maize hybrids display superior heterosis and are produced from crossing two
parental inbred lines belonging to genetically different heterotic groups. Here we assembled …

Background Gene expression is a key determinant of cellular response. Natural variation in
gene expression bridges genetic variation to phenotypic alteration. Identification of the …

The fall armyworm of maize, Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith)(Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) is
capable of causing a 100% yield loss due to its unforeseen occurrence from the seedling to …

Genome editing is a relevant, versatile, and preferred tool for crop improvement, as well as
for functional genomics. In this review, we summarize the advances in gene-editing …

There is an ongoing societal debate about plant breeding systems and their impact on
stakeholders in food systems. Hybrid breeding and hybrid seed have become controversial …